The Living, The Dead, and The Living Dead
by JadeAndToriAreMyLife
Summary: The zombie apocalypse broke out a few years ago, and Jade has been on her own since the beginning. When a group comes across her, she joins their group and has to find a way to fit in.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey there! I thought I would write a Jori zombie apocalypse fic, so that's what I'm doing. Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Victorious _or any of its characters. **

* * *

Jade knows she's in bad shape. She's limping down the empty, abandoned car filled highway. She cursed herself for losing focus and getting ambushed and stabbed by a scavenger. She adjusts the backpack on her back, pulling on the straps. There is barely anything in her backpack; an empty water bottle and a half of a granola bar. The only other item Jade has is a small handgun that she holds in her hand, one shot remaining. Jade told herself that no matter what, she would always save one bullet in case she were to get cornered by bitters.

So, when Jade hears a car not too far in the distance, coming her way, she tightens her hand around her gun, her knuckles turning white. The car catches up to Jade in a matter of seconds, and she glances at the vehicle, noticing it's a pickup truck. The truck slows to a stop next to Jade, and she prepares for the worst. The passenger window rolls down, revealing a brunette girl. Jade looks past her and sees a black boy with short dreads.

"Hey there," The girl says, a small smile on her face. "We noticed you and saw that you're alone and wanted to offer help." The girl rests her arm on the side of the car where the window was previously rolled up. "We can help you; we have a safe place not too far from here, you can hop in the bed of the truck and we'll take you there."

Jade stares at the girl, not expecting the niceness. "I...uh," Jade says. Jade

looks around, taking note of the still empty road. Knowing her luck, it wouldn't stay empty for long. "I've been in a few bad camps before," Jade says, "How do I know your camp is different"

The girl looks at the boy next to her and then back at Jade, "I guess that's a chance you'll just have to take."

"We need to hurry this up, dinner tonight is beef stew and I am _not _missing beef stew night!" The boy says.

"Look," The girl says, "We can fix your leg up and you can be on your way if that's what you want, but we need to get going."

"As long as that's not a bite!" The boy says.

"It's not a bite," Jade says, "I swear!"

The girl looks at the boy again, then back to Jade, "Get in."

Jade nods and climbs into the bed of the truck. She sits with her back against the part that separates the front of the truck and the bed of the truck. She puts her gun in her backpack, and sets the bag down next to her.

The window between the front of the truck and the bed of the truck opens, "You ready?" The girl asks. Jade nods. "Okay, let's get going," The girl says to the boy. The girl looks back at Jade. "I'm Tori, by the way. And this is Andre."

"Jade."

"We're glad to have you with us," Tori says, giving Jade a small smile.

Jade returns the small smile.

* * *

The truck slowly comes to a stop as they reach a giant gate. "Truck 13 is back at the gate," Andre says into a walkie talkie. The gate opens a few seconds later, and Andre drives the truck into the compound, the gate closing behind them. Andre slowly drives through the area, making her way through the base. Jade tries to shrink down in the bed of the truck, trying to dodge the questioning eyes that land on her from around the area. Andre pulls the truck up to a garage, waiting for it to open before pulling the truck in.

Tori and Andre both get out of the truck, walking around to the bed of the truck. Jade grabs her backpack and slings it over her shoulders before hopping out of the bed of the truck.

"I'll take you to the medical center," Tori says, looking at Jade.

"And it's not a bite?" Andre asks.

"No! It's a stab wound," Jade says, a frown on her face, "I got ambushed by a scavenger."

"Damn, girl," Andre says, "Well, I'm going to go settle in before dinner. See you guys later." Jade and Tori watch as Andre walks away.

"Come on," Tori says, starting to walk, "Let's get that wound taken care of." Jade walks next to Tori, pulling on the straps of her backpack.

"This is a nice place," Jade says, looking around. There are walls that surround a small neighborhood. "The walls are nice, and it seems like you guys know what you're doing."

"Definitely," Tori says with a smile, "It's taken a while, but we finally feel safe.

We've been working on this since the beginning." Tori looks at Jade, "What about you? Do you have a place? Friends? Family?"

Jade looks over at Tori, and then to the ground, shaking her head. "No. I've been on the road by myself since the beginning." Jade looks back up at Tori, seeing a shocked expression.

"What? Really?" Tori asks with a frown, "I'm sorry."

Jade shrugs, "Don't be, it's not your fault."

"I know," Tori says, "But in the kind of world we live in, it sucks to be alone."

Jade gives a nod, "Yeah, it does."

Jade and Tori continue the rest of their walk to the medical center in silence. When they finally reach the medical center, Tori leads Jade inside. "Robbie? Cat?" Tori calls out.

A boy with a small afro pops out from around a corner, smiling when he sees Tori. "Tori! You're back!" The boy turns around, "Cat, Tori is back!"

A girl comes running out into the main room, running up and embracing Tori into a tight hug. "Tori! I missed you!"

Tori smiles, and hugs the girl back, "I missed you too!" Tori says. The girl steps back and smiles wide, jumping up and down.

"Yay!" The girl exclaims.

"Guys," Tori says, "This is Jade," Tori motions to Jade.

Jade gives a small wave, "Hey."

"Hey, I'm Robbie!" The boy says, putting his hand out for Jade to shake. Jade reluctantly shakes it, not wanting to be touched.

"A new person!" The girl exclaims, "I'm Cat, with a 'c'!"

Jade looks at Tori with a confused look, receiving a shrug in return. "Robbie, can you patch Jade's leg up?"

Robbie looks down at Jade's leg, seeing the blood stain through the girl's jeans. "I'll have to see the damage, but I'm sure it won't take too long to patch up." Robbie motions for Jade to sit in a hospital bed.

Jade takes her backpack off and sets it on the ground before sitting on the hospital bed.

"I'll have to cut the jeans," Robbie says, putting a pair of rubber gloves on.

Jade nods, "That's fine, do what you have to."

"We'll be able to get you a new pair after this," Tori says.

Robbie grabs a pair of scissors, and cuts the jeans right over Jade's knee. Robbie sets the scissors down and looks at Jade's still bleeding wound.

"Ew!" Cat squeals, covering her eyes with her hands.

"What happened?" Robbie asks, inspecting the wound.

"I got stabbed by a scavenger," Jade says, wincing when Robbie presses down on the wound with a towel.

"Hold this and put pressure," Robbie says. Jade puts her hand on the towel and pushes down, adding pressure. "I'm going to have to clean it and then stitch it up, but it only looks like it'll be about five or six stitiches."  
"Great," Jade says.

"It won't take too long," Robbie says, "And hopefully it won't hurt too bad." Robbie takes the now blood covered towel and tosses it aside, grabbing a clean and a bottle. "This is a saline solution, it will clean the wound, but it's going to hurt," Robbie warns. Robbie pours some of the saline solution onto Jade's wound, causing her to groan in pain. Robbie pats the wound with the clean cloth, and prepares to stitch it. "Are you ready for the stitches?"

Jade nods.

Robbie nods and starts. "So," Robbie starts, quickly glancing back at Tori, "What're you going to tell Beck when he finds out you brought someone in?"

Tori shrugs, "He can get over it."

"I'm not so sure about that," Robbie says, "He's been pretty strict lately." Robbie finishes the last stitch and wraps Jade's leg with a bandage. Robbie sits down in a chair with a sigh.

The door to the medical center swings open and a boy walks in. "Tori," The boy greets firmly. Tori turns to look at the boy. "What is this?" The boy points at Jade. "I thought I told you I was serious about bringing people in." The boy crosses his arms over his chest.

"Nice to see you too, Beck." Tori says. "This is Jade."

Beck looks over at Jade, who gives a tight smile. Beck looks back to Tori, a stern look on his face. "Tori," Beck starts, "This is unacceptable, you can't keep getting away with things like this!"

"Oh, so helping people is a crime now?" Tori asks, throwing her arms out angrily at Beck.

"Yes!" Beck exclaims, "In the world we live in, helping people is a crime! We don't know who is dangerous or not! We don't know who could kill our people or not!"

"Look, I can leave," Jade cuts in. Jade didn't really want to leave, she felt safe inside of the walls. But she didn't want a fallout to happen because of her.

"Yes, thank you," Beck says, "You need to."

"No!" Tori says, "She's staying!" Tori glares at Beck.

Beck sighs, "Fine." Beck turns to Jade, "If you make _one _mistake, you're out."  
Jade nods, "I understand."

"Good," Beck says, "Tori will show you around, and find you a place to stay. There are rules and you _will _follow them. You will be put to work, we'll put you in something that won't strain your leg, until you recover. If you don't work, you don't get rations, so you don't get to eat. Again, one mistake, little or big, and you're out."

Jade nods, "Okay."

Beck looks back at Tori, "You'll be doing dishes and trash for a week for this."

Tori nods.

Beck looks between Robbie, Ca, and Tori, "Don't forget to eat, dinner is in ten minutes." Beck turns towards Jade, "You too." And with that, Beck walks out of the medical center.

"Well, that could've been worse," Robbie says.

"So, she gets to stay?" Cat asks.

Tori nods, "Yes, Cat. Jade gets to stay."

"Yay!" Cat looks over at Jade, "You get to stay!"

Jade gives the girl a small smile. Jade is glad that she gets to stay, she really didn't like being out in the middle of nowhere. Though, she knew she would have to get used to the idea of being around others.

"I'm starving," Robbie says, "Shall we go get some dinner?" He receives a nod from the three girls in the medical center. "I heard its beef stew tonight!"

* * *

After getting Jade a new pair of jeans, Tori, Jade, Robbie, and Cat arrive at the food station that's set up outside in a picnic area. "Come on, let's get in line!" They all get in line and wait to get their food.

"So, how many people are in this community?" Jade asks, looking around.

Tori takes a step forward as the line moves up, "Not too many. There's about twenty of us. We all went to Hollywood Arts, a high school down the road. We all decided we should stick together and work together. I'd say it worked out."

Jade nods and they move up in the line once again, reaching the front. Someone managing the beef stew puts a ladle full of stew in a bowl and hands it to Tori.  
"Thanks, Trina!"

"You're welcome, Tori," Trina replies. She looks over at Jade, "Newbie?" Trina asks.

"Yup!" Robbie says.

Trina fills up another bowl and hands it to Jade, who accepts it with a small smile.

"This is Jade," Tori says with a smile.

"She almost got kicked out!" Cat says, "It was scary!"

"Anyway, nice to meet you, Jade," Trina says.

"You too," Beca says.

Tori leads Jade to one of the picnic tables, leading her to one that has Andre and one other person sitting at it. Tori sits down and Jade sits down next to her, Robbie and Cat sitting across from them.

"Hey Andre!" Cat says.

"Hey there, Cat," Andre says with a smile.

"Who's the new kid?" The man that Jade hasn't met says.

"Sikowitz, this is Jade," Robbie says, "Jade, this is Sikowitz."

"Hey," Jade gives a small smile. Jade notices that he looks older than anyone else in the community.

"He was our acting teacher at Hollywood Arts," Tori says.

Jade looks around the area, seeing people talk and laugh, being able to enjoy themselves.  
"You okay?" Tori asks, noticing the look on Jade's face.

Jade looks at Tori, "Yeah, I'm just not used to this. Being in a safe place. I've been in a few bad camps that I had to escape from that were different than this."

"Well, you're safe now," Andre says, "We're a good community and you have nothing to worry about."

Jade gives him a small smile.

"You still haven't touched your beef stew," Robbie points out. Jade looks down at her stew.

"Yeah, I'm used to rationing my food," Jade says. Jade raises the spoon from the bowl, some of the beef stew on it. Feeling her stomach growl, Jade puts the spoon in her mouth, eating the stew. She hums as the warm stew enters her mouth.

"Good?" Andre asks.

Jade nods, "This is the first proper meal I've had since this whole thing started." Jade takes another spoonful.

"That's quite a long time," Robbie says.

Jade gives a nod, "Yeah, it is."

"This is good stew!" Cat says, with a giant smile. The group at the table agrees with Cat.

"You seem to know what you're doing," Sikowitz says, "I mean, if you've been on your own for the most part."

Jade takes another spoonful of the stew, "Yeah, I know what I'm doing. I'm also pretty good with a gun."

"That's a good thing," Andre says, "Tori and I could use some help outside of the walls." Andre says. "When your leg heals, that is."

"Yeah, sometimes we get stupid people out there with us," Tori says, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I can't wait to be helpful out there," Jade says. She hadn't been here very long, but she felt a connection with these people.

* * *

After dinner, everyone dispersed. Tori started cleaning up after everyone, as her punishment is to do the dishes and take out the trash. Jade starts helping, picking up bowls off of the picnic tables.

"You don't have to help," Tori says, "It won't take me too long."

"It's kinda my fault that you have to do this in the first place," Jade says, "Plus, it'll get done faster if we both do it."

Tori smiles at Jade, "Thanks."

Together, Jade and Tori clean up the picnic area.

"So, what did you do before?" Tori asks.

Jade picks up another bowl, adding it to the stack in her hands, "I went to an arts high school down in San Diego."

"Nice," Tori says, throwing more garbage into the trash bag she has. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," Jade replies, "What about you?"

"Same," Tori says, "The entire friend group is seventeen, well, apart from Sikowitz."

Jade lets out a small chuckle, "I want to thank you, by the way."

Tori looks over at Jade, "What for?"

"For picking me up off the side of the road," Jade says, "And for sticking up for me when Beck was going to kick me out."

Tori smiles, "Of course! There's so many bad things that happen in this world and when I saw that you needed help, I was ready to help. And as for the Beck thing, he'll get over it. He just gets stressed running this place."

"Well, thank you," Jade says, "I really appreciate it."

Tori smiles and hits Jade with the half-full trash bag in her hands, "Come on, let's finish this so we can get settled in for the night."

* * *

Jade lays on a couch, staring up at the ceiling of one of the houses. She's in a safe place; a community surrounded by sturdy walls, yet, she can't fall asleep. Jade can't even remember the last time she actually got to sleep. Jade lets out a sigh and throws her legs over the side of the couch, sitting up.

"Can't sleep?" Jade is startled by the voice, and quickly grabs her handgun from the coffee table, pointing it in the direction the voice came from. Jade squints, looking into the dark, her finger hovering over the trigger. Tori comes forward, entering the light that comes from a small lamp in the corner of the room. Her hands are held up in the air, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Tori gives a small smile.

Jade lets out a sigh and sets her handgun back onto the coffee table, "It's okay, you just gave me a heart attack!" Jade dramatically places her hands over her heart.

"I gave _you _a heart attack?" Tori asks, "You pointed a gun at _me_!"

"Sorry about that," Jade says, "It's a habit."

"You're in a safe place," Tori says, "You don't need to be scared while you're inside these walls."

"I know," Jade says, "I just can't help it." Jade looks down into her lap.

"How's your leg feeling?" Tori asks, changing the subject.

"It hurts, but nothing I can't handle," Jade shrugs, "It's a good kind of pain."

"And the new jeans are okay?" Tori asks, "They fit alright?"

Jade nods, "They actually fit better than the last pair I was wearing."

"Good!" Tori says. "You should probably try to get some sleep."

"What about you?" Jade says, shifting the attention to Tori, "Why are you awake?"

"I have watch in about thirty minutes," Tori says, "I had just come down the stairs and I saw that you were up."

"Well, I don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight," Jade shrugs, "If you want someone to keep you company while on watch."

Tori smiles at Jade, "Sure! But only if you're one hundred percent sure you aren't going to sleep. Don't feel like you have to keep me company."

"I can't even remember the last time I slept, and it doesn't seem like I'll be getting sleep anytime soon, so I'll join you."

"Thanks," Tori says, "It'll definitely help with the boredom." '

Jade gives Tori a small smile. Jade has never smiled as much as she has since she's been around Tori, and she definitely noticed. But it's probably nothing...right?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey there! Here's chapter two! Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy. **

* * *

Jade and Tori sit in a watchtower, watching for any danger that might be lurking around the community. Tori has a rifle leaning against the rail next to her, while Jade has her handgun in her lap.

"So," Tori says, attempting to rub the tired out of her eyes, "What was your life before the outbreak?" Jade lets out a sigh, sitting back in her chair. "You don't have to answer, if you don't want to," Tori says, seeing the response she received from Jade.

"No, it's fine," Jade says, looking over at Tori, "What do you want to know?"  
Tori gives a small shrug, "Anything." Jade gives Tori a look, "Okay, fine, uhm… what's your full name?"

Jade looks at Tori, "You want to know my full name?" Jade questions.

Tori nods, "Yup, so tell me."

Jade lets out a small sigh, "Jadelyn West."

Tori smiles brightly, "Jadelyn?"

Jade crosses her arms over her chest, "If you tell anyone, I will feed you to the bitters," Jade threatens.

Tori holds her hands up in a surrender motion, "I won't tell anyone!" Tori takes her hand and makes a zipper motion over her lips, and then throwing the 'key' away.

"Good," Jade says. She glances over at Tori before looking back out into the distance, checking for danger. "What's your full name?"

"Victoria Vega," Tori says with a smile.

"Vega," Jade says, "That has a nice ring to it."

"It does?" Tori asks.

"Yes," Jade replies, "I like it."

"Thanks," Tori says, questionably.

"So, what else do you want to know?" Jade asks.

Tori thinks for a second before responding, "What did you like doing for fun?"

"I collected scissors," Jade says. "What?" Jade asks, seeing the horrified look on Tori's face.

"Y..you collected scissors?" Tori asks, making sure she hears Jade correctly. "For fun?"

Jade nods, "Sure did."

"That's… an interesting thing to do for fun," Tori says, looking back out on the surrounding land.

"We all have our things," Jade says, "A vice, everyone has one. So what's yours?"

Tori shakes her head, "I don't have one."

"Oh come on," Jade says, looking out into the distance, "You must have one."

"I don't!" Tori exclaims.

"Come on, Vega, just admit what your Vice is, I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not worried about you telling everyone what my vice is because I don't have one!"

"Uh-huh," Jade says, "I'm sure you don't," Jade smirks over at Tori.

"Fine!" Tori says, giving up, "I have a vice."

"I knew it!" Jade says, "What is it?"

"It's a Cuddle Cathy doll," Tori says, ignoring Jade's gaze.

Jade fights back her smile, "That's your vice?"

Tori throws her head back in embarrassment, "I knew you were gonna make fun of me!"

"I'm not making fun of you, Vega," Jade says.

"Yes you are!"

"No, I'm just laughing at you," Jade corrects.

"Ugh!" Tori groans.

Jade looks out into the distance, the sky an orange and light pink as the sun starts to come up. She notices a few figures lurking not too far from the main gate of the community. Jade grabs her handgun and stands up, causing Tori to look at Jade questionably, her own hand starting to reach for her rifle.

"Do you see that?" Jade asks, pointing at the figures that are making their way to the main gate.

Tori squints as she follows Jade's finger, seeing the figures in the distance. "Are they bitters?" Tori asks, looking at Jade.

Jade stares at the figures, her eyes darting between the lurking figures. "I'm not sure, they're too far away for me to know." Jade starts climbing down the ladder of the watchtower.

"Where are you going?" Tori asks, looking down at Jade as the goth girl continues to make her way down the ladder.

Jade pauses her descent down the ladder and looks up at Tori, "To get a better look." Jade continues climbing down the ladder, jumping off from the fourth step and onto the ground.

"Wait!" Tori says, grabbing the rifle and starting her descent down the ladder. Tori climbs down the ladder in record time, quickly following Jade, who is already at the front gate, ready to unlock it.

Jade grabs the lock to the gate, starting to pull back on it when Tori grabs her arm to stop her. Jade raises an eyebrow at Tori.

"You can't just open the gate!" Tori exclaims, "There are protocols for these situations!"

"Vega, there are random figures out there coming this way, there's no time to go through the protocols!" Jade says.

"Okay, even if we didn't follow protocol, what about your leg?" Tori asks, "You're injured, you can't just go out there, you might make it worse!"

"I'm a tough girl, Vega," Jade says, "I've had worse while living out there."

"Please," Tori begs, "We just need to go alert Beck!"

Jade doesn't know why she gives in, but she does. Maybe it's the way Tori looked at her when she begged. Maybe it was the thought that if Jade made one mistake, Beck was going to kick her out. But it was definitely the second one, right?

"Okay, go get Beck," Jade says, "But be quick!" Tori gives Jade a look. "I won't open the gate until you get back."

"Okay," Tori says before running off to get Beck.

A minute later, Tori comes running back to the front gate, Beck close behind, sporting a knife.

"Are you okay to help out in case something happens?" Beck asks, "I know you're injured and all…" Beck trails off.

"I'm fine," Jade says, holding up her gun.

"No, no guns. It'll draw in everything within miles," Beck says, "Here," Beck pulls a knife out of his boot and hands it to Jade. Jade looks at it, before accepting it and putting it in her leather holster that's attached to her hip.

"I'll keep my gun out, just in case it's a group of survivors," Jade says, "That way they're threatened."

"Good idea," Beck says. He shifts his eyes over to Tori, "You are staying here,

inside the gate."

"What?" Tori asks, "No I'm not!"

"Yes you are, we don't need you to get injured if anything goes wrong," Beck says, starting to open the gate.

"I'm coming with," Tori says, "You could use the extra help."

Beck turns to Tori, "I made my decision, and it's final!" Beck says, before opening the gate. He looks to Jade, "Let's go." Jade walks through the gate, Beck right behind her. Beck takes one last look at Tori, "I'm serious, stay here."

Jade sees the figures approaching, squinting to see if they're bitters or survivors. She holds her gun tight and she and Beck make their way towards the figures.

"I've got your back if this goes south," Beck whispers, holding his knife in his hand, "And I want to know that you've got mine."

Jade quickly glances at Beck before returning her attention to the figures, "I've got your back."

Beck gives a small nod, "Good."

"Can you tell what they are?" Jade whispers.

Beck squints his eyes, trying to see if he can tell. "They look like bitters, but I'm not too sure."

They continue getting closer, stopping at a safe distance and standing their ground. Jade draws her gun, aiming it towards the figures, and Beck holds his knife, ready to attack.

"Hey!" Beck calls.

The figures turn around, revealing three bitters. Jade quickly holsters her handgun and grabs her knife. She steps towards one of the bitters, kicking it in the knee, causing it to fall, Beck taking care of one of the other ones. Jade takes the knife that she holds tightly and digs it into the brain of the bitter. As she goes to turn around and get the last one, it grabs her by her shirt. Jade curses herself for taking off her leather jacket and leaving it in the house she was staying at. Jade hears the growling of the bitter in her ear, and feels it slobber all over her back. The weight on her back is gone and she turns around, seeing Beck sticking his knife into the bitter's brain.

Beck stands up straight, looking at Jade. Jade's breath is heavy, nervous about the close encounter, hell, mad at herself that the encounter even happened. "Are you okay?" Beck asks.

"Yeah, thanks," Jade says.

Beck gives Jade a nod, "I told you, I've got your back."

Beck and Jade walk back into the community, closing and locking the gate behind them. Tori looks at Jade, worry all over her face.

"Are you okay?" Tori asks, hands roaming all over Jade, looking for a bite.

Jade shrugs Tori's hands off, "I'm fine."

Tori looks over at Beck, anger flashing over her face, "Why did you make me stay? You know I'm very capable of handling a few bitters!"

"Because, Tori," Beck starts, "We didn't know for sure if they were bitters or not.

Plus, we didn't need all three of us to go out there. It's not a big deal, so please, calm down." Beck puts a hand to his forehead, rubbing his thumb over his eyes, obviously tired.

"Here," Jade flips the knife in her hand so she's holding the blade out to Beck.  
"Keep it," Beck says, removing his hand from his forehead, "You'll need it in the future."

"Thanks," Jade says.

Beck gives Jade a small nod. "Well, I'm going to my room, if you need anything else, you know where to find me." Beck starts to walk away. After taking a few steps, Beck looks over his shoulder at Jade, "Thanks for the help out there, I'm glad to have the extra hands." Beck doesn't wait for a response, and walks away.

Jade looks at Tori, her anger completely gone. Tori looks back at Jade. Jade smiles at Tori.

"What?" Tori questions, leading the duo back to the watchtower.

Jade watches as Tori starts to climb the ladder to the watchtower, "I can't believe your vice is a Cuddle Cathy doll."

Tori lets out a groan of frustration, "Are you ever going to let that go?"

A smirk plays across Jade's lips, "No."

* * *

Jade lays on the couch, still having not gotten any sleep. At this point, Jade is used to it. Is she tired, of course she is, but being unable to sleep tends to get in the way of curing her tiredness. Jade just stares at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. _I almost died last night. Why was I being so stupid? Would it really have been such a bad thing dying last night, I mean living in a world like this? Is it even worth it anymore? I have one bullet left, I could easily just en-_

"Hey!" Tori's chipper voice brings Jade out of her thoughts, and she sits up on the couch, allowing Tori to plop down next to her. "Did you end up getting any sleep?" Tori asks.

Jade shakes her head, "No, but I'll survive, don't worry, Vega." Jade runs a hand

through her raven colored hair, pushing it out of her face.

Tori frowns, sure she has only known Jade for not even one day, but she feels bad for her. "Not even a little?"

Jade shakes her head again, "No."

Tori's frown grows, "I'm sorry."

Jade meets Tori's eyes, "What're you sorry for, you didn't cause my lack of sleep."

"I know," Tori says, "I just feel bad."

Jade shrugs, "I'll be fine."

Tori stands up, looking down at Jade, "Are you ready for breakfast?"

Jade follows Tori's actions, standing up herself, "Yes."

* * *

Tori and Jade sit down at the picnic table with their friends, well Tori's friends anyway. They all eat and laugh, as Jade stares off in the distance and poking her oatmeal with her spoon, still thinking about her incident last night.

"Jade?"

Jade shakes her head, coming back to reality. "Huh?"

"We heard that you helped Beck last night with some bitters," Robbie says, "Thanks for keeping the community safe!"

Jade raises an eyebrow, "No problem." _Except it almost was, I almost die-_

"Tori and I are going on a run into the city tomorrow if you wanted to come with?" Andre says, "We could probably use the help."

"Andre," Tori says after swallowing the bite of oatmeal she had taken, "Her leg is injured."

"I just thought since she was able to help Beck last night with the bitters, she would be fine," Andre says with a shrug.

"We can definitely take a look at your leg if you want," Robbie says, gesturing between himself and Cat, "To make sure you'll be able to go."

"Yeah!" Cat exclaims.

"That's a good idea," Tori says with a smile.

"Are you okay, Jade," Cat asks, "You haven't had one bite of your breakfast," Cat points out, the rest of the group nodding.

"I'm just not hungry," Jade shrugs, "If anyone wants my-"  
Before Jade can even finish her sentence, her bowl of oatmeal is snatched by Robbie. "Hey!" Andre exclaims, "I wanted that."

"You snooze, you lose!" Robbie says, shoveling the oatmeal into his mouth.

"How're you _not _hungry?" Andre asks, looking up at Jade as he finishes his last bite of oatmeal.

Jade shrugs, "I'm used to not eating often, that's probably why."

"Hey, where's Sikowitz?" Tori asks, just now noticing that he was missing from their table.

"He said he wasn't feeling too well," Robbie says, "I went to check on him, I think it's just a common cold, but I'll keep my eye on him."

"Let's hope for everyone's sake that it's just a cold," Tori says.

Jade closes her eyes, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion. She has these moments from time to time where everything catches up to her and it all hits her at once. She assumes that it's the events from last night that are finally catching up to her. Jade keeps her eyes closed as she listens to the conversation that the group is having.

"Hey," The voice is soft as someone nudges Jade's arm lightly. Jade's eyes flutter open and she sees Tori sitting next to her, a bright smile on her face. Jade notices the group is no longer sitting at the table and she gives Tori a questioning look. "I noticed that you closed your eyes and figured you could probably use some rest," Tori says, "Even if it was only about ten minutes."

Jade gives Tori a small smile, "Thanks."  
Tori nods, "Of course!" Tori stands up from the table, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some dishes and trash to attend to."

Jade stands up and starts to help Tori clean up the picnic area. Again, Tori tells Jade she doesn't help, but Jade continues to help. Jade likes spending time with Tori, she enjoys Tori's presence. Together, the two girls quickly clean up after breakfast.

Jade picks up the trash bag, throwing it over her shoulder.

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Tori says, "I can get that." Tori reaches her hand out to take the trash bag from Jade, but Jade takes a step back.

"I've got it," Jade says, "Plus, the dumpster is on the way to the medical center, right?"

Tori nods, "Yeah." Tori and Jade start walking towards the medical center, "Are you sure you don't want me to carry that?"

Jade looks at Tori, "I'm sure."

They continue the rest of their walk to the medical center in silence, only stopping so Jade can toss the trash bag into the dumpster. Tori pushes the door to the medical center open, holding it for Jade.

Jade gives Tori a small smile for holding the door and walks into the medical center. Tori follows Jade into the medical center.

"Hey guys!" Cat exclaims, seeing Tori and Jade.

"Hey!" Tori says.

"Are you here for us to check your leg?" Robbie asks, coming from the back of the medical center.

"Yeah," Jade says, "Do you mind?"

Robbie shakes his head, "Of course not. I'll need you to take your pants off so I can look at your leg."

Jade hesitates, feeling awkward. She does not want to take her pants off in front of everyone.

"Do you want us to turn around?" Tori asks, sensing Jade's hesitation. Jade shakes her head.

"No, it's fine," Jade says, slipping her injured leg out of her jeans and sitting on

the hospital bed.

Robbie slides gloves over his hands and inspects Jade's wound. "Considering I just patched this up," Robbie says, poking the wound, "It's looking really good. This will be healed in no time!" Robbie looks up at Jade, "I'll clear you for the run into the city tomorrow."

"That's good news!" Cat says.

Jade stands up from the hospital bed and slides her leg back into her jeans.

"Now we will just have to run the idea by Beck," Tori says, "It's up to him who goes on runs."

Robbie clips a walkie talkie to his pants and picks up a small bag, "Well, I'm off to go check on Sikowitz again."

"I hope he starts to feel better," Tori says, a frown on her face.

"Me too," Cat says.

"Come on," Tori says, looking at Jade, "Let's go talk to Beck."

* * *

Tori and Jade stand outside of Beck's door. Tori lifts her hand and knocks twice on the door.

"Coming!" Beck's voice is muffled. Shuffling is heard from inside before the door swings open, revealing a very tired looking Beck. "What's up?"

"I want to go with Tori and Andre on their run tomorrow," Jade says, crossing her arms over her chest.

Beck furrows his eyebrows at Jade, "I can't let you go."

"What? Why not?" Jade asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Because of your leg injury," Beck says, leaning against the door frame.

"Robbie cleared me," Jade says.

Beck looks to Tori, "Is that true?"

Tori nods, "Yes, you can ask Robbie yourself if you don't believe us."

"It's not that I don't believe you, I ju-"

"Hello? Is anyone there? It's urgent!"

Beck turns around, and walks into his house, Tori and Jade following. Beck picks up his walkie talkie, putting it up to his mouth and pressing the button on the side. "This is Beck."

"Beck, it's Sikowitz!" Robbie's voice comes through the walkie talkie, "You need to get to his house right now!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey there! Here's chapter three! I've decided I'm going to update this every Wednesday (Unless stated otherwise). I will also be posting a oneshot or a part of my Dorm Room series (Which is coming soon) every Saturday (Again, unless stated otherwise). Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.**

* * *

Beck, Tori, and Jade start running towards Sikowitz's house. The dirt pathway is picked up by their feet and thrown around. The pounding of their feet draws attention of some people in the community.

"What's going on?" Someone whispers.

"I don't know, but it seems urgent," Someone else whispers.

The three teenagers ignore all of the whispers and continue running. As they round a corner, they see Cat and Robbie standing outside of a house that Jade assumes is Sikowitz's. Robbie has his back pressed up against the door.

The running teenagers come to a stop, the three of them breathing heavily. Beck looks at Robbie and Cat, "Are you two okay?"

Cat nods, tears flowing down her face.

"I'm fine!" Robbie says, "But I won't be able to hold this door much longer!"

"I've got it!" Jade says, quickly making her way to the door, relieving Robbie of holding it shut. Jade hears groaning inside, confirming that Robbie's accusation is correct.

"Are..Are you sure?" Tori asks, sucking her bottom lip under her teeth, "He's…?" Tori trails off.

Robbie nods, sadness taking over his face.

"What do we do?" Tori asks, tears threatening to fall down her face.

Beck stares at the ground.

"Beck?" Cat asks.

"I don't know!" Beck yells, making everyone except Jade flinch. The groaning and scratching at the door increases due to Beck's yell. "I need a minute to think!"

"We don't have a minute!" Jade says. She knows this is a sad moment for the group standing in front of her, but they need to take care of the bitter before anything happens.

Beck turns towards Jade, his eyes flaring with anger. He takes two strides towards her and grabs her by her leather jacket. He takes her from the door and shoves her to the ground.

"Beck!" Tori exclaims!

"You have no right!" Beck yells. "You don't know how hard this is for us!"

The door slams open, bitter Sikowitz stumbling out of the house.

"Shit!"

Beck, Tori, Robbie, and Cat back up, staring at bitter Sikowitz. Jade stands up and grabs her knife from her holster. She walks up to bitter Sikowitz and quickly stabs him in the head, killing him for good. Jade watches as his body falls to the ground, slamming against the dirt pathway. Jade hears a sob rip through Tori. Jade turns around, seeing Beck, Tori, Robbie, and Cat hugging each other, sobbing. Jade puts her knife back in the holster. Jade sees Andre running up to the friend group, joining them in the group hug. She walks away, leaving the group to comfort each other.

* * *

Jade stands at the top of the watchtower. She watches as the pink, orange and blue colored sky starts dispersing into a black, moonlit sky. Jade had offered to take watch right after the incident happened so the community could mourn over their loss. Jade has been up in the watchtower since right before lunch started. Jade closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She rolls her left shoulder, it being sore from when Beck shoved her to the ground. She opens her eyes and looks back out into the distance.

"Hey."

Jade grabs her gun from her holster, before turning around and aiming. She looks down the top of her handgun, seeing Tori's face. Jade sighs and puts her gun back into her holster. "Hey."

"How many times are you going to point that thing at me?" Tori asks, a small smile on her face. Jade notices that her eyes are bloodshot and puffy.

"I'll stop pointing my gun at you when you stop sneaking up on me," Jade says, smirking.

"I brought this for you," Tori says, holding out a bowl of chili. "I noticed that you missed lunch and dinner, so I figured you could use something to eat."

Jade looks at the bowl of chili in Tori's hands. Jade isn't hungry, but Tori went through the trouble of coming up to the watchtower to bring her something to eat.

"You should eat something," Tori says, knowing that Jade is going to reject the chili, "You haven't eaten since last night."

Jade nods, accepting the bowl of chili, "Thanks." Jade takes a bite of the chili, humming as she eats it.

"Good?" Tori asks, slumping into one of the chairs.

"Yeah," Jade says, sitting down in the chair next to Tori. "I'm sorry about Sikowitz."

Tori looks over at Jade, tears brimming her eyes.

"Hey," Jade says, "It'll be okay."

Tori lets out a sob.

Jade puts a hand on Tori's thigh, "I didn't get to know Sikowitz," Jade says, "But I'm sure he was a great guy. He seems to have made a big impact on your life. And I'm sure he would want you to keep moving forward no matter what."

"You don't know him."

Jade and Tori snap their heads around.

"You don't know anything about any of us," Beck spits angrily at Jade, venom lacing his voice.

Jade stands up, "I know that," Jade says, "I want to get to know you guys." Jade does want to get to know them, especially Tori, which she doesn't know why. She was never a big people person.

"Beck," Tori says, "Knock it off."

Beck ignores Tori, "You killed him!" Beck shoves Jade, her back slamming into the rail of the watchtower.

Jade stares at Beck, she sees the fire in his eyes. "He would've killed everyone! Was I supposed to just stand around and watch?"

"Maybe you should've let him bite you!" Beck exclaims, "I think everyone here would've like that!"

"Beck!" Tori exclaims.

"Maybe I should kill you!" Beck says, pulling a knife out of his holster and pointing it at Jade.

Jade stares at Beck, "If that's what you have to do," Jade says, taking a step forward, the point of the knife poking her neck, "Then do it."

"No!" Tori exclaims, "Beck, stop!"

Beck stares at Jade. He lowers the knife and puts it back into his holster. He turns around, ready to climb down the ladder. "You're leaving tomorrow. Be ready to leave at dawn." Beck climbs down the ladder.

"He can't do that!" Tori says.

"Well, he just did." Jade says. Jade turns around and leans on the rail, looking out into the distance.

"Hey."

Jade turns around and sees a boy with a small smile.

"You guys are good to go, I've got watch."

Jade climbs down the ladder, Tori doing the same. When they reach the ground, they start making their way to Tori's house.

Tori pushes the door to her house open and she walks in, Jade right behind her. They walk into the living room and Tori sits down on the couch. Jade grabs her backpack and slings it over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Tori asks, eyeing Jade.

"I'm leaving."

"What?" Tori asks, "No."

"You heard Beck," Jade says, making her way to the front door.

Tori stands up from the couch and grabs Jade's arm, holding her back. "He's just upset right now, everything will be fine in the morning."

Jade shakes her head, "I don't think it will be." Jade sighs, "Look, I appreciate everything you've done for me, I really do. But, he wants me gone. I'm just going to leave now." Jade pulls her knife out of her holster, holding it out to Tori, "Can you give this back to Beck?"

Tori frowns, "No."

Jade raises her pierced eyebrow, "No?"

"If you're going to leave, you can give it to him yourself!" Tori says.

Jade puts the knife in her holster, "Fine." Jade pulls her arm out of Tori's grasp and walks out of the house, heading towards Beck's.

When Jade gets to Beck's house, she knocks on the door. The door swings open, an unamused Beck standing there. "What do you want?"

Jade pulls the knife out of the holster and hands it out to Beck, "I came to return this because I'm leaving now."

Beck looks at the knife before taking it from Jade, putting it in his boot. "I'll take you to the kitchen and you can pick out a couple of things to take with you."

"I don't need your pity food," Jade says.

"Please, just take some food."

Jade turns around, seeing Tori, her eyes begging.

"Fine."

Beck, Jade, and Tori make their way to the kitchen. Beck unlocks the door to the kitchen and the trio walks inside. "Take four cans of food," Beck says, "I'll also give you a six pack of water."

Jade looks at the cans of food in front of her. She picks up a can of corn, a can of beans, a can of chicken noodle soup, and a can of spinach. She puts the four cans into her backpack, this being the heaviest it's ever been.

"Here," Beck says, handing Jade six water bottles, which she also places into her backpack.

They all exit the kitchen, Beck locking the door behind them. "You can stay until

dawn," Beck says, "That way you can rest up before leaving."

"I'll be fine," Jade says.

"Okay," Beck says, "I'll let Tori walk you out. Good luck to you out there." Beck walks away, walking towards his house.

Tori and Jade start walking towards the front gate. "I'm going to miss you," Tori says.

Jade looks over at Tori, "I'm going to miss you too." Jade never would've said that to someone, but Tori, she was different.

"I want to give you something before you go," Tori says, looking around to make

sure no one is looking. Tori unclips a walkie talkie from her pants and holds it out to Jade. "If you ever need anything," Tori says, "Use channel ten, no one ever uses that channel. I'll set mine to channel ten."

"Thanks," Jade says, stuffing the walkie talkie into her backpack.

Tori and Jade reach the front gate. Tori gives Jade a small smile, "I guess this is it."

Jade gives a small nod, "I guess so."

Tori reaches forward and pulls Jade into a tight hug. "Meet me and Andre in the city tomorrow afternoon" Tori whispers into Jade's ear.

"Okay," Jade whispers back, "I'll wait at the entrance for you."

"Sounds like a plan," Tori whispers.

Jade pulls apart from the hug and looks at Tori. Tori unlocks the gate and opens it. "Stay safe out there."

"I will," Jade says, walking out through the gate.

"Bye," Tori says.

"Bye," Jade says.

Tori gives Jade one more small smile before closing and locking the gate.

Jade sighs before starting to make her way towards the city.

* * *

Jade walks through the forest, making her way towards the city as she knows she has a long trek. She wishes she kept the knife, having run into a few bitters so far. She managed to find a stick on the ground that's big enough the bash their brains in. The sun was starting to rise and Jade knew she was going to have to pick up her pace if she wanted to be in the city in time to meet Tori and Andre in time. That meant Jade wouldn't have time to eat anything and she's actually hungry.

Jade lets out a sigh, she wishes she stayed and left this morning. Once Beck told Jade she had to leave, she thought it would be best to leave then, not wanting to deal with the possible rumor that would've gone around the community. Jade wishes she stayed to spend more time with Tori. She doesn't know why, but she actually liked Tori, despite her bubbly personality. Had they met before the apocalypse, Jade definitely would've wanted to punch her face in.

Jade hears groaning and pulls the stick over her shoulder like a bat, ready to attack. She stops in her tracks, and looks around the area to find the source of the groaning. Her eyes dart between the trees, not seeing anything. Suddenly, a bitter pops out from behind a tree near Jade and she make quick work of it, bashing its brain in. She looks around for anymore bitters, not seeing any. She continues on her journey.

* * *

Jade steps out of the forest, covered in bitter blood. She had come across a group of six of them and had to take them on as they were in her way. She puts a hand on her forehead, blocking the sun from her eyes. She notices the city, tall buildings hovering the area. She starts making her way to the road that leads into the city. After making her way to the road, she looks up into the sky, looking at the sun. It's sometime in the afternoon, so she looks down the road, seeing if she can spot a car; she doesn't.

Jade sighs and runs a hand through her hair. She didn't want to just stand out in the open, just in case there were scavengers around, but she also didn't want to go back into the forest and bump into anymore bitters. Jade remembers about the walkie talkie and swings her backpack to the ground. She unzips the backpack and grabs the walkie talkie, but just as she does, she hears a car in the distance. Jade zips the backpack and slings it back onto her shoulder. She squints, looking into the distance, noticing that the car happens to be the same truck that Tori and Andre found her with.

The truck quickly approaches Jade and the door swings open. Tori hops out of the truck and looks at Jade. "Oh my god," Tori breathes, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jade says, "I just ran into a group of bitters."

"You're not bit, are you?" Tori asks, looking over Jade.

"No," Jade says, "It's not my blood, it's the bitters' blood."

Tori sighs in relief, "Good." Tori turns back to the truck and reaches for something. "I brought you this." Tori turns around and Jade looks at the bowl in her hands. "I figured you probably didn't eat."

Jade accepts the bowl, and starts eating the oatmeal. "Thanks," Jade says with a full mouth, "I'm starving."

Tori lets out a small laugh, "I knew you would be."

"Come on ladies," Andre says, leaning over the center console of the car, "I don't want to waste the daylight!"

"Uhm, did you want to come with us?" Tori asks, "I know you aren't part of our community anymore, but I thought maybe you'd want to join us?"

Jade gives Tori a small smile, "Sure. Is Andre cool with it?"

Tori nods, "Yeah, we all think Beck made a mistake by kicking you out. Andre isn't going to say a word about it."

Jade nods and hops into the bed of the truck while Tori gets back in the passenger's side. Jade quickly finishes the oatmeal and sets the bowl down next to her. Tori slides the window between the front of the truck and bed of the truck open. Andre starts driving into the city.

"So, how was your night?" Tori asks, looking back at Jade.

Jade shrugs, "As good as it could be. Didn't run into too many bitters."

"I'm assuming you didn't get any sleep?" Tori asks.

Jade shakes her head, "No sleep."

Tori frowns.

"I'm fine," Jade says.

"Oh!" Tori says, "I brought you something else." Tori digs through her backpack and pulls out a pocket knife, handing it to Jade through the small window.

Jade accepts the pocket knife, "Thank you. It wasn't the easiest to kill the bitters with a stick," Jade lets out a small chuckle.

Tori smiles at Jade.

Andre stops the truck in the middle of the city. "Alright ladies," Andre says, "This is our stop." They all get out of the truck and look around. Tall buildings tower over them.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Jade asks, looking at Andre and Tori.

"We'll stay to the smaller buildings, the stores," Andre says, "We want to get as many supplies as we can."

Jade nods, "Sounds like a plan."

"Let's start in that one," Tori says, pointing at a small convenience store on the corner of the street.

They make their way over to the store, all of them sporting knives. Jade looks through the window of the store, not seeing any bitters. "I don't see anything. No bitters."

"Let's proceed with caution," Andre says.

Jade slowly opens the door, a small bell ringing. "Fuck," Jade whispers. Jade slowly walks inside, Tori and Andre behind her. They quietly make their way around the store, grabbing anything that would be useful. They make their way outside and make their way to another store.

* * *

"Okay, this is the last one," Andre says, "Tori and I need to get back." This store was a bigger store, it was a two story tall store. They decided to split up, to get out of the store quickly.

Jade makes her way upstairs, climbing the broken escalator. She grips her knife tightly when she hears a shuffling noise. Jade keeps her eyes alert as she starts grabbing canned food off of a shelf. Jade shoves the canned food into her backpack. She stands up and starts to pull her backpack onto her shoulders when she's shoved onto the floor. Her backpack and her knife fall to the floor.

"What the he-"

Jade cuts herself off when the barrel of a gun touches her forehead. Jade leads her eyes down the gun and up the arm of the person holding it. Her eyes continue roaming until they find a face. The bandana, the tattoo on the arm that matches the same on that the scavenger that stabbed her had. A scavenger.

"Stand up," The man says, "Slowly."

Jade slowly stands up, eyeing the scavenger.

"Who else is with you?" The man asks.

Jade shakes her head, "No one, I'm alone."

The man stares at Jade, his eyes narrowing. "No you aren't."

"I am, I swear!" Jade says.

The man turns around, looking at Jade's backpack. While the man searches through Jade's backpack, she looks for her knife. Spotting it on the ground to her right she slowly bends down to pick it up. She stands back up and looks back at the man, who is still searching through her backpack.

"This is a nice supply of food," The man says, turning back around.

Jade reaches forward, stabbing the man in the arm. The man retaliates by hitting Jade in the head with the butt of his rifle. Jade stumbles back, holding her head in her hands. She stumbles into unsturdy shelves, falling down on top of them, causing them to fall over.

"Jade?" A voice calls, "Are you okay?"

The man stands over Jade, "I thought you were alone, _Jade_."

Jade is dizzy and the room spins around her. She pulls her hands away from her head and sees blood covering them. Jade tries to stand up, but her dizziness causes her to fall back onto the knocked down shelves.

Jade hears footsteps coming up the escalator and the man runs off to hide behind a still standing shelf.

"Jade, oh my god!" Tori runs over to Jade, hovering over her. "Andre get the gauze out of your backpack!"

"No," Jade says, "Scavenger." Jade tries to stand up, her dizziness getting the better of her again. "You need to leave."

Tori opens her mouth to question Jade, but before she can, the scavenger comes out from behind the shelves, his gun pointing at Tori.

Tori stands up and backs up, "Hey, okay. I'm not doing anything."

"You're outnumbered!" Andre says.

"Am I?" The scavenger asks. The scavenger whistles and more scavengers come out. Jade looks around, seeing about four more scavengers.

"I stand corrected," Andre says.

"You'll be coming with us," The main scavenger says.

That's the last thing Jade hears before passing out.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey there! I know I said I would be posting this every Wednesday, but I'm busy tomorrow so I figured I would post it today! Also, updates with all of my fics might be late because school just started back up. So now I'll be busy with work and school. Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.**

**Follow me on Tumblr JadeandToriAreMyLife**

* * *

Jade's eyes open. They immediately close due to the thumping over her head. She groans and grabs her head with one of her hands.

"Jade?" Tori whispers.

Jade opens her eyes and slowly sits up, her hand still cradling her head. Tori and Andre sit across from her on the floor. They're in a cell of somesort.

"Jade?" Tori whispers again.

Jade looks over at Tori, meeting her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Tori asks.

Jade nods, "I'm fine." She wasn't. Jade didn't want Tori to worry about her, especially in the situation they're in. Tori is probably scared, hell, Jade is scared.

"Are you sure?" Tori asks, "You're head is still bleeding."

Jade pulls her hand away from her head and inspects both of her hands. Dry and fresh blood cover them. Jade sighs. "Yeah." Jade looks back up at Tori and Andre, "Are you okay?" Jade moves over to sit next to them.

"I'm fine," Andre says, "They just threw us in here and they haven't come back yet."

"I'm fine," Tori says, her voice shaking, "I'm scared."

"We'll be fine," Jade says, putting a hand on Tori's shoulder.

Jade hears the lock on the door and looks at the door. The door swings open and a man walks into the cell. "I was hoping I would hit one of you with the door," He says, an evil smile on his face. The man looks at Jade, "Ah, you're awake." The man steps out of the room and locks it again, his footsteps fading.

"That was weird," Andre says.

Tori looks at Jade, "Are you sure you're okay?" Tori inspects Jade's head, "Too bad Cat or Robbie aren't here to take a look at that."

Jade touches the wound on her head again, more fresh blood coating her hand. "It hurts, but I'll be fine."

The door unlocks and swings open again, a different scavenger emerging from it. Jade notices that its the man from the store. He smiles evilly at Jade. "Stand up, you're coming with me."

Tori grabs Jade's hand. Jade gives Tori's hand a small squeeze before slipping out of Tori's grasp and standing up. The man grabs Jade and shoves her through the door. "You two behave," The man says before exiting the cell and closing and locking the door. "Let's go," He says to Jade, ushering her forward.

The man leads Jade to a small, dark room. "Sit," He points to a chair sitting in the middle of the room.

"No," Jade says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're going to do this the hard way?" The man asks, "Sit in the chair before I put a bullet through your brain."

Jade sighs and sits down in the chair only because she doesn't have a way to fight back with the man. The man quickly ties Jade's hands behind the chair. The man leaves the room without a word. Jade sits in the pitch black room. Soon enough, the door opens and closes. Jade senses someone in front of her and thinks to kick her legs out, but she decides against it, not wanting to make their situation worse.

A light shines in Jade's face and she closes her eyes at the brightness. She opens her eyes, squinting. A woman stands in front of Jade, holding a flashlight to her face. The woman takes a few steps back and sets the flashlight on a shelf, keeping the small room lit.

"I heard that one of my men did that," The woman says, pointing at Jade's head wound, "Is that true?"

Jade nods, "Yes."

The woman stares Jade up and down, a smirk forming across her face. "So, you know the two people that were brought in with you?"

"Yes," Jade says, "But please, don't hurt them."

The woman looks at Jade, "Why would I want to hurt them?"

"Because you're scavengers!"

The woman shrugs, "We don't hurt anyone unless we have a reason."

"That's funny because one of your men stabbed me in the leg not too long ago!" Jade says.

"I'm sure there was some reason," The woman says.

Jade shakes her head, "I had nothing on me, so there was nothing for him to take."

"Let's change the subject," The woman says, "I want you to tell me where your camp is."

"Camp?" Jade asks, raising her pierced eyebrow, "We don't have a camp."

The woman raises an eyebrow at Jade, "Oh really?"

"Yeah," Jade says, "We like to keep moving, not wanting to risk staying in one place for too long."

"I don't believe you," The woman says.

"You don't have to," Jade says.

The woman slaps Jade across the face, the slap leaving a red hand mark on Jade's face. Pain settles on Jade's cheek. The woman leans her face in close to Jades. "You need to be on your best behavior, or you'll get more of that."

Jade shakes her head, getting her hair out of her face so she can look at the woman. "You need to let my friends and I go!"

The woman smirks, "I'll let the three of you go as soon as you tell me where your camp is."

Jade lets out a frustrated groan. "I told you we don't hav-"

The woman slaps Jade across the face again, harder this time. "The sooner you stop lying to me, the sooner you'll stop getting hit."

Jade feels the anger rise within her. "I'm not lying!"

The woman punches Jade this time, her knuckles cracking against Jade's face. Jade's face swings to the left, blood dripping out of her mouth.

"Having fun?" Jade asks, blood splattering out of her mouth.

The woman smirks, "Tons." The woman cracks her knuckles, "Just tell me about your camp, and this will end."

"There is no camp!" Jade lies.

The woman kicks Jade in the stomach, knocking the chair back onto the floor. Jade is winded, and she tries to catch her breath. "Come on," The woman says, kneeling down in front of Jade, "Just tell me."

"Even if I did have a camp," Jade says, her breath heavy, "Why would I tell you where it is?"

"We just want to help your camp," The woman says, "Give it some food, treat sick people."

Jade scoffs, "Yeah right! You're scavengers!"

"Shame," The woman says, standing. "You should've just told me." The woman starts kicking Jade repeatedly. The woman lands kicks in Jade's face, side, and stomach. The woman finally stops and Jade feels like she's one more hit from death. Blood drips down her face, and she's winded, trying to catch her breath.

"Looks like I'll just have to go ask one of those friends of yours," The woman says. "The girl, probably. Seems like she'd be easier to break."

Jade freezes. She knows Tori would hold out on the location of the camp, and end up like Jade, only getting beaten by the woman. "Wait," Jade whispers, "I'll tell you."

The woman grabs the sides of the chair Jade is tied to and sits it upright. The woman smirks at Jade. "Do tell."

* * *

Jade is shoved back into the cell and instantly collapses to the ground. She's still winded.

"Oh my god, Jade!" Tori exclaims, quickly making her way across the cell to Jade, "What did they do to you?"

Jade looks at Tori. Jade eyes start to water from the pain; Jade has never been in this much pain in her life. "They know," Jade says.

Tori gives Jade a questioning look, placing a hand on Jade's shoulder. "What do they know?" Tori asks.

"Where your camp is," Jade says. Tori's eyes go wide. "I...I," Jade says, tears sliding down her face. "She kept hitting me because I wouldn't tell her," Jade sobs.

"What changed?" Andre asks, standing up and looking at Jade.

"She said she was going to get Tori and ask her," Jade says, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "I wanted to protect you!" Jade says, looking at Tori.

"Who is she?" Andre asks.

Jade looks over at Andre, "The leader of the scavengers."

"Well, what are we going to do?" Tori asks.

"What do you mean?" Andre asks, "We're stuck in a cell!"

"We have to find a way to alert the camp!" Tori says. "They're all in danger!"

Jade sighs and leans up against the wall, needing the support for her sore body. She holds her side loosely. "We need to find a way out of here," Jade whispers, "And soon."

"Only if we want to get killed!" Andre says, throwing his hands into the air.

"What do you think they're going to do to us in here?" Jade asks, "Do you think they're going to cook us a three course meal and set us free?"

"They might!" Andre says.

Jade rolls her eyes, "Once they take over your camp, they're going to kill us. They won't need anymore information about it, so they won't need us anymore."

Tori gasps, her hands flying over her mouth in shock at Jade's statement.

"I'll help you formulate a plan to get out of here," Jade says, looking between Tori and Andre.

"Wait," Tori says, "What about you?"

"I'm in no shape to move, let alone escape scavengers," Jade says, "I can't even breathe without pain ripping through my body."

"I won't leave you!" Tori says, "I refuse!"

"Yeah," Andre says, "You've done a lot for us."

Jade shrugs, "Well, you're going to have to leave me." Jade looks at Tori, "Look, I'll be fine."

"You said they're going to kill us!" Tori says, "They'll kill you if you stay."

"I know," Jade says, looking at her hands that rest in her lap, "And I'll be fine."

"No." Tori says. "We either all leave together, or not at all!"

"I'm with Tori," Andre says.

Jade looks at Tori, "You guys won't make it with me dragging behind."

"We'll figure it out," Tori says, sitting down next to Jade. "We're all going to get out of here alive." Tori grabs Jade's hand and interlocks their fingers, and gives Jade a smile.

"Are you okay?" Tori whispers to Jade. Jade and Tori sit with their backs against the wall, while Andre lays down on the other side of the room, sleeping. They've only been here for half a day, but Jade wanted out.

"I will be," Jade says, "Once the pain goes away, I'll be good as new. Well, minus all the cuts and bruises."

"I feel bad that she did that to you," Tori says, frowning.

"I didn't want to tell her where your camp is," Jade says, "But she got it."

Tori squeezes Jade's hand, "It's not your fault. They're scavengers, they know how to get things."

Jade nods, "I know, I just," Jade pauses, "You don't deserve to be here."

"You don't either," Tori says, looking at Jade's blue-green eyes, "And we're going to get out of here."

"I know," Jade says.

"And I know Beck will let you back into the community," Tori says. Jade looks at Tori questionably. "He knows he made a mistake, and I know he's thinking about it right now."

"He's probably thinking about you and Andre," Jade says, "Wondering why you two aren't back yet."  
Tori nods, "Probably. I feel bad for Beck. He just kind of took it upon himself to be in charge. I know it's challenging, and I know he needs help leading, but he doesn't accept help."

"He'll realize it eventually," Jade says.

"I hope so," Tori says.

The cell door swings open, Andre jolting awake. The three prisoners look at who walked in. Jade's eyes lock on the woman who beat her, one hit from death. The woman smirks at Jade. The woman shifts her attention to Tori. "You, come with me."

Jade quickly stands up, pain rushing through her body. Jade stands in front of Tori protectively, "She's not going anywhere with you."

The woman looks at Jade, "I don't think you're in any position to tell me what I can and can't do."

Jade glares at the woman, "She's going to stay here."

"Do you want a repeat of what happened last time?" The woman asks, "My hands are a little sore, but I can manage." The woman looks past Jade to Tori, who is still sitting on the floor. "Come on, stand up."

Tori slowly stands up, fear running through her veins.

"I said, you're not taking her!" Jade says.

"I'm afraid that's not up to you," The woman says. "Come on," The woman says to Tori. Tori slowly walks over to the woman, giving Jade a look that says she'll be okay. "Perfect, now, shall we?" The woman asks, gesturing for Tori to walk out of the door. Tori gives Jade one more look before stepping out of the cell, the woman following. The door swings shut.

* * *

Jade paces the cell, fists clenching and unclenching. It's been a while since the woman took Tori, and she's still not back. Jade is worried for Tori, especially after what the woman did to Jade.

"Can you _please _stop pacing?" Andre asks, "It's giving me a headache!"

Jade stops in her tracks and glares at Andre, "I can't, I'm worried for Tori!" Jade starts pacing again.

The door opens and Jade takes a step back, not wanting to get hit by the door. "Go ahead," The woman says, "Go back in the cell." Tori steps into the cell and the door slams and locks behind her. Jade and Andre stare at Tori.

"Vega?" Jade asks, looking at Tori. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"  
Tori looks over at Jade, "No, I'm fine."

"What happened?" Andre asks, standing up.

"You were gone for a while," Jade says.

"They took me to the camp, had me verify that it was ours," Tori says, looking at the ground.

Andre's eyes widen, "You told them it wasn't, right?" Tori lifts her head and looks at Andre with sad eyes. "That's what you told them, right?" Andre tries again. Tori shakes her head and starts crying. Jade places a comforting hand on Tori's shoulder. "Why not?" Andre asks angrily, "All of our friends are gonna die now!"

"The woman told me if I told her it wasn't our camp and she found out it actually was, she said she would…" Tori trails off, sobs taking over her.

"She said she would what?" Jade asks.

Tori looks at Jade, "She said she would kill you."

Jade's eyes widen. Tori risked her entire camp to save Jade's life. "Why would you do that?" Jade asks. Tori looks at Jade, confused. "Why would you risk your entire camp for me?"

"Jade," Tori says, "I just…" Tori trails off, "You've done so much for us, and I don't want to see you die!"

"So, you'd risk all the lives at your camp?" Jade asks.

"I wasn't going to let her kill you!" Tori exclaims.

"Look," Andre says, "We just need to focus on getting out of here before they get to the camp."

Jade and Tori nod in agreement.

* * *

Jade sits with her back against one of the walls, holding her side. She looks at the other side of the cell, Tori and Andre sitting with their backs against the wall, having a conversation. Jade leans her head back against the wall and closes her eyes. Everything happened so fast in only a few days. Jade should've known something bad would've happened in the city. She's been to plenty of cities, and not one of them had a good thing happen. Don't get her wrong, she's never been captured by scavengers, but she's definitely run into them plenty of times - especially in cities. And then there was whatever was going on between her and Tori. She knows there's something, but what is it? Jade has never been good with people. Is it just what happens in normal friendships? No, it can't be, Jade feels something deep down with Tori.

"Hey."

Jade opens her eyes and sees Tori sit down next to her. "Hey."

"How's your side?" Tori asks, noticing that Jade is holding it.

Jade shrugs, "It's fine." It's definitely not, it still hurts like hell. And jumping up to stand in between the woman and Tori, did not help.

"Let me see it," Tori says, reaching towards Jade shirt.

"I don't think that's necessary," Jade says, "It's fine."

"Come on," Tori says, "Let me just make sure."

Jade sighs, "Fine." Jade grabs the bottom of her leather jacket and her shirt and pulls them up just high enough for Tori to look at her side. Tori gasps. "Not good?" Jade asks, looking at Tori.

Tori shakes her head, "No, this bruise is as big as my head!" Tori runs a finger over the bruise, making Jade wince. "Sorry," Tori apologizes, moving her hand away from Jade's bruise. "It's black and purple," Tori says.

Jade drops her jacket and shirt back down. "Bruises tend to be those colors, Vega."

"But yours looks ten times worse than any bruise I've seen!"

"I'll be fine," Jade says, "It'll heal."

"That is going to take forever to heal," Tori says.

"But it will heal eventually," Jade says. "Plus, I told you, as soon as the pain is gone, I'll be fine."

"I'm just worried for you," Tori says, "About you."

"Believe it or not," Jade says, "I tend to handle myself pretty well."

"How did you live by yourself in this world?" Tori asks, "I can't imagine how hard it was."

Jade slowly nods, "Yeah, it was…" Jade trails off, looking at Tori. "Definitely something."

"Has it all been bad?" Tori asks, looking at Jade.

"No," Jade says, shaking her head, "There's one good thing."

"Ooh," Tori says, "Do I get to know what this good thing is?"

Jade smiles, "It was meeting you."

Tori blushes, "Really?"

Jade nods, "Yeah. Everything else I've been through," Jade says, "Has not been that good."

"Nothing else?" Tori asks.

"Nope," Jade says, "It's a pretty tough world. It's life or death," Jade says, "I always worried about everything. What if I fell asleep and I got bit in my sleep? What if I ran out of food and starved to death? What if I got captured by scavengers?" Jade says, "And now, that last one is true."

"Is that why you don't sleep anymore?" Tori asks, "Because you were scared?"

"Yes," Jade says, "I know it's ridiculous."

"It's not," Tori says, shaking her head, "You didn't have walls to protect you," Tori says. "You always had to be alert."

"Yeah," Jade says.

"So, you've been by yourself since the start?" Tori asks, "So, you were out there all alone when you were 14?" Jade is surprised that Tori remembered her age. Surprised that she actually cared to remember. Or maybe she just remembered because that's how old Tori is. Yeah, it's definitely that option.

Jade nods, "Yeah, it hasn't been easy, but I'm still here."

"I can't even imagine," Tori says, "We managed to get our walls up pretty quickly. And then we started making them more and more sturdy and developing the community."

"I should've traveled this way sooner," Jade says, "I could've met you and been in an area surrounded by a wall."

Tori opens her mouth to start talking, but gets cut off by the cell door opening.

Jade, Tori, and Andre shift their attention to the door, watching as the woman walks into the cell.

"Not you again!" Andre complains.

The woman looks at it, "I'd watch what you say."

Andre's eyes widen, "Yes ma'am!"

The woman looks over to Tori and Jade, a smile on her face. She points at Jade, "You, with me." Jade just stares at the woman, not moving. The woman quickly pulls a gun out and points it at Tori. "You wouldn't want me to put a bullet in her head, would you?"

Jade stands up, "No need for that."

The woman puts her gun away and looks at Jade, "That's what I thought. Now, let's go." Jade walks out of the cell, the woman behind her. The woman shuts and locks the door behind them.

"What do you want from us?" Jade asks.

The woman shoves her forward, "Start walking."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey there! Here's chapter five! Things are starting to get intense. Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.**

* * *

Jade sits in a chair, not tied up this time. There's a desk in front of her, another chair on the other side of the desk, still empty. Jade turns her head, looking over her shoulder. She sees a man holding a gun, he's staring at Jade.

"Hey," Jade says, looking at the man, "Do you know how much longer this is going to be?"

"Why?" The man asks, "You got plans?"

"Yes, I do," Jade says, "I heard there's a party going on. I want to make it."

The man ignores Jade, continuing to stare at her, so she turns back around. Jade runs a hand down her face. The woman brought Jade to this run and then instantly turn around and left after telling Jade to sit. The door opens and closes. Someone comes to the side of the desk, making their way to the chair and Jade looks up, seeing the woman. The woman sits down in the chair and looks at Jade. The woman clasps her hands together and puts them on the desk.

"Sorry it took me so long to get here," The woman says, pulling her chair closer to the desk, "I had...something to take care of."

"What do you want?" Jade asks, "I'm sick of this game your playing."

The woman unclasps her hands and opens one of the drawers of the desk. She rummages through the drawer before pulling it out and putting it on the desk. "I want you to join my crew."

Jade stares at the gun, instantly noticing it's her gun, "You want me to join your crew?"

The woman nods, "That is what I said." The woman looks at Jade, "Think about it, you'll get benefits. We have food, beds, plenty of weapons, hot water. We have everything that we need to survive."

Jade's head snaps up to the woman, "You have hot water?"

The woman smiles, "Yes, it's very nice for a shower."

Jade would love a shower, a hot one nonetheless. "What's the catch?" Jade asks.

"Nothing," The woman says with a shake of her head, "You become a part of my crew and you get all of the benefits. You'll start off as a guard around the compound. Mostly just because of your injuries."

"The injuries that you caused," Jade points out.

"Yes, but you'll be fine," The woman says, "You're strong." The woman pushes the gun towards Jade, "What do you say?"

Jade looks at the gun and then back up at the woman. "I'm in," Jade says.

The woman smiles, "Great, go ahead and take the gun."

Jade takes her gun and puts it in the holster.

"Now," The woman stands up, "I'll take you to your sleeping quarters." Jade stands up and follows the woman out of the room. The woman leads them through the halls.

"So," The woman says, "What's your name?"

Jade looks over at the woman, "Jade."

"Nice to officialy meet you, Jade," The woman says, "I'm Adley." Adley pushes a door open and Jade follows her in. They step into a small room. The room is filled with a small bed, a small desk, and a bookshelf. "That door," Adley points to a door, "Leads to the bathroom, your bathroom. Everything here is yours, no one else will use it. Your door locks, feel free to lock it whenever you want."

Jade looks around, it's not a bad place, it's pretty cozy. "It's nice," Jade says.

"Why don't you go ahead and clean yourself up?" Adley says, "Take a nice hot shower and get dressed in the clothes that are in the closet there," Adley points, "And then meet me back in my office."

Jade nods, "Okay."

Adley smiles, "Take as long as you need. Also, your backpack, with your belongings, is also in the closet," Adley says before leaving the room.

Jade waits a few seconds before turning and locking the door. Jade walks over to the closet and opens it, pulling out the clothes that Adley told her to put on. Jade unfolds the clothes, noticing they're similar to the other scavengers'. Jade notices her backpack and pulls it out of the closet. She sets it on the bed and unzips it, noticing that her empty water bottle, her half eaten granola bar, her walkie talkie, and her knife are in there. She notices the food and water that Beck gave her are gone.

Jade takes the knife out of the backpack and sets it down on the bed. Jade takes her gun out of the holster and sets it next to the knife. Jade walks into the bathroom, taking her new clothes with her, and shuts the door behind her. She locks the door. Jade turns around and stops in her tracks when she sees herself in the mirror. She was not in good shape. Her face is filthy, old blood and mud covering her face and her hair is a tangled mess. Jade looks away from the mirror and strips her clothes off. Jade moves to the shower, and turns the knob to the hot side. Water instantly pours out of the shower head. Jade waits a couple of seconds for the water to heat up. She sticks her hand into the water, testing the temperature. Deciding the temperature is hot enough, Jade steps into the shower. Jade stands under the hot water, watching as the blood and the mud wash off of her body and flow down the drain. Jade looks to her side, seeing shampoo, conditioner, and soap on the ledge of the shower. Jade takes the longest shower she's ever taken.

* * *

Jade walks out of the bathroom, in her new clothes. She plops her old clothes into her backpack and zips it up. Jade puts her backpack into the closet and shuts the closet door. Jade attaches her knife holster to her right leg and her gun holster to her left leg. She puts her knife and her gun in each holster. Jade unlocks her door and opens it. She walks into the hallway and closes the door behind her. She walks to Adley's office.

Jade reaches Adley's office and knocks on the door. After hearing a muffled response, Jade pushes the door open and walks in, closing the door behind her. Adley looks up at Jade and smiles.

"How was your shower?" Adley asks.

"Good," Jade nods.

"Are you ready to start working?" Adley asks.

"Yes," Jade says.

"You're going to be shadowing, Earl," Adley says, "He guards your friends cell, is that going to be a problem for you?"

Jade shakes her head, "No."

"Good," Adley says, "I'm going to call Earl down, and he's going to take you to get some food," Adley says, picking up a walkie talkie, "And then after you guys eat, you'll start shadowing him." Adley brings the walkie talkie to her mouth, "Earl, to office one."

"I'm on my way," A voice comes through the walkie talkie.

There's a knock on the door after about a minute. "Come in," Adley says. The door opens and a man stands there, Jade assumes it's Earl.

"Earl, this is Jade, she'll be shadowing you today," Adley says.

Earl looks over at Jade, "Welcome to the crew."

"Go ahead and take her to dinner," Adley says, "And then take her to post three."

Earl nods, "Come on, Jade." Earl says, walking out of the room. Jade follows, closing the door behind them.

Jade and Earl walk in silence, as he leads Jade through the halls. Earl pushes a set of double doors open, holding them for Jade. Jade walks through the doors and looks around. Jade stands in a large cafeteria, scavengers littered throughout, eating and chatting with each other.

"Come on," Earl says, patting Jade on the back, "I'm starving." Jade follows Earl as he walks, heading towards the food. As they pass other scavengers, they acknowledge Earl, giving him fist bumps, and they eye Jade. Jade glares back at them, and they turn away. "So, you get to choose one fruit, one snack, one can, and a drink. If you don't finish, you can take it with you," Earl says, picking up food. "Sit anywhere you want, I'll pick you up when we have to get to work." Earl looks at Jade, "You good?"  
Jade nods, "Yeah, I'm good." Earl gives Jade a thumbs up before walking over to a table and sitting down, immediately talking with others.

Jade looks at the food. She picks up an apple, a granola bar, a can of chili, and a water bottle. She walks over to an empty table, not wanting to interact with any of the scavengers. Jade slumps down in the chair, setting her food on the table. Jade takes a bite of the apple, some of the juice running down her chin. She wipes her chin with the back of her hand.

Fifteen minutes later, Earl walks over to the table Jade is sitting at. "You ready?" Earl asks. Jade nods. "There are trash cans by the doors, you can throw your trash out there." Jade stands up and shoves the unopened granola bar into a pocket of her jeans. She picks up the apple core, the can of chili, and the water bottle, and follows Earl towards the exit of the cafeteria. Jade throws her apple core into the trashcan before walking out of the door Earl is holding open.

"Can I drop these off in my room?" Jade asks, holding up the can of chili, and the water bottle.

"Sure," Earl says, "Follow the signs that lead to post three," Earl says, pointing to a sign on the wall. "I'll meet you there."

Jade and Earl walk in opposite directions. Jade quickly makes her way to her room and opens it, locking it behind her. Jade opens the closet and grabs her backpack, setting it on the bed. Jade shoves the water bottle and the chili in her backpack before zipping it and throwing it back into the closet. Jade makes her way out of the room and follows the signs to post three.

Jade makes her way to post three, pushing the door open. She sees Earl standing against the wall. "So," Earl says, "Guarding post three is the easiest post to guard." Earl pushes himself off the wall, "All you need to do is watch to make sure nothing happens within the cells. And at this moment, there's only one cell that's occupied. You know which one it is, right?" Jade nods. "Great. You will need a weapon." Jade pulls out her handgun, showing it to Earl. "Do you have any rounds?"

Jade checks, seeing how many rounds she has. "I have one."

"Here," Earl says, handing Jade a different handgun. Jade holsters her handgun. "You can use this one until you get more rounds, which I can take you to do after the shift." Earl leans back against the wall, "And now, we wait."

* * *

Jade and Earl are leaning against the wall, guns in their hands. They stand in silence; Earl tried talking to Jade, but she didn't want to talk. The silence is disrupted by a voice coming through Earl's walkie talkie.

"Earl, I need you to guard post six. Lee passed out."

Earl grabs his walkie talkie from his belt and replies. "Are you sure leaving the newbie alone is okay?"

"Are you questioning my decision?" Adley's voice comes through the walkie talkie.

"No, of course not," Earl quickly replies.

"Good. Give the walkie talkie to Jade, and take Lee's when you get to post six."

"Okay, I'm on my way," Earl says. Earl looks at Jade and hands her the walkie talkie. "Here. Have fun." Earl walks off, walking out of post three, closing the door behind him.

After making sure Earl is long gone, Jade unlocks and opens the cell door. She steps in, seeing Tori and Andre, sitting on the floor, backs against the wall.

"Jade?" Tori asks, standing up. "I thought they killed you," Tori says, taking a step towards Jade. "I was worried about you when you were a traitor this entire time!" Tori says, anger lacing her voice.

"Woah, it's not like that!" Jade says.

"It looks like it," Andre says, standing next to Tori.

"Listen," Jade says," I don't have time to explain, but I'm going to find a way to get out of here." Jade looks over her shoulder, making sure no one is coming, "I just need a little more time."

"Wait," Tori says, "So you aren't one of them?"

"No!" Jade says, "I'll explain later. As soon as I find a way to get out of here, we're leaving." Jade reaches into her pocket, "I brought this." Jade pulls the granola bar out of her pocket. "I know you two are hungry, I figured you could split this." Jade hands the granola bar to Tori, who accepts it.

"Thank you," Tori says.

Jade nods, "I'm going to leave, so I don't get caught. I'll let you know my plan as soon as I figure it out."

Tori reaches forward and pulls Jade into a tight hug. "Be careful," Tori whispers.

"I will be," Jade whispers back. Tori lets go of Jade. "I'll see you guys soon," Jade says before walking out of the cell. Jade closes and locks the door. Jade lets out a sigh and leans back against the wall.

* * *

"Jade, come to my office."

Jade grabs the walkie talkie from the ground, "Right now?"

"Yes, someone will be taking your post," Adleys says.

"Okay, I'm on my way," Jade says.

Jade clips the walkie talkie to her jeans and walks out of post three. Jade quickly makes her way to Adley's office. Jade knocks on the door. After getting a reply, Jade opens the door and closes it behind her.

"Have a seat," Adley says, pointing to the chair opposite of her. Jade sits in the chair, and crosses her arms over her chest. "Since you're new, you're going to have to go through orientation."

Jade raises her pierced eyebrow, "Orientation?"

Adley nods, "Everyone goes through it. And since you're one of us now, you need to go through it too."

"Okay," Jade says, "When does it start?"

"We're going to get started now," Adley says, "I'm just waiting for someone to come assist me." As if on cue, there's a knock on the door. "Come in." The door opens and a woman enters. "Jade," Adley says, standing up, "This is Blake."

Jade looks at Blake and gives the girl an acknowledging nod.

"Are we ready to start?" Blake asks, looking at Adley.

"Yes," Adley says, "We should be ready for the first part."

"First part?" Jade asks, "There's multiple parts?"

"Yes," Adley says, "Blake, the fire has been going with the marker for a while, take it out for me."

"Fire? Marker?" Jade asks, turning to watch Blake. Blake pulls a metal pole out of the fire, and Jade looks at it. The pole is red hot. Jade turns back to Adley, "You're going to brand me?"

"I wouldn't call it branding," Adley says, "But yes." Adley motions for Blake to come back towards them. "Now, turn and lift your shirt, it's going on your side." Jade glares at Adley before turning and lifting her shirt. "Perfect," Adley says, taking the pole from Blake. "This is going to hurt. Blake is going to hold you, to make sure you stay still." Blake grabs hold of Jade tightly.

Jade can feel the heat coming from the metal pole as Adley moves the pole towards her skin. Jade screams out in pain when the hot pole touches her skin. "Fuck!" Jade yells. Adley finally pulls the pole from Jade's skin and Blake let's go of Jade. Jade still feels the burning on her skin. Jade grits her teeth and looks down at her side, seeing the scavengers brand mark. Jade looks up at Adley.

"You took that surprisingly well," Adley says, handing the pole to Blake. "Most people at least cry or pass out." Adley smirks, "This is exactly why I want you to be a part of our crew. You're strong." Adley looks at Blake, "Is part two ready?"

Blake nods, "Yes."

Adley smiles, "Great." Adley looks back at Jade, "Come on, let's go." Adley walks out of her office, Jade and Blake following. "Part two, in my opinion, isn't as bad as part one," Adley says, looking back at Jade as they walk through the halls. "I know you'll do fine." Adely pushes a door open and leads Jade and blake into a room. "Blake, will you go get Devin?"

Blake nods, "Yes, I'll be back." Blake leaves the room.

"So," Adley says, "Part two. We will be taking you to your camp with a hidden microphone and you will get information for us."

"Okay," Jade says.

The door to the room opens and Blake walks in with a man. "This is Devin," Adley says, "He's going to be hooking up the microphone to you."

Devin walks over to Jade, "Can you take your jacket off?" Jade slides her jacket off. Devin clips the small microphone to the collar of her shirt. He hands the battery pack to Jade, "Slide this in the pocket of your jacket." Jade pulls her jacket back on and slips the battery pack into her pocket. "When it's time, you'll push the button on the side of the battery pack and it'll start recording. When your done, just press the button again."

"We'll be able to hear you, but you won't be able to hear us," Adley says. "So, when you think you have enough information, you can come back to where we will be waiting for you." Adley looks to Devin, "Let's get going."

* * *

The small car is stopped not too far out of sight from the camp. Jade opens the door and gets out of the car. Adley gets out of the passenger's seat. "Okay," Adley says, "If I hear you say anything to them, I'm leaving you here. And once I get back to my camp, I'll kill both of your friends."

"That won't happen," Jade says, "I only want to get information from them."

"Good," Adley says, "Don't tell him your a scavenger either."

"I won't."

"Run along now," Adley says, "We'll be waiting here."

Jade nods and turns to start walking towards the camp. Jade quickly makes her way to the wall, thinking of how she can communicate with Beck. Jade reaches the wall, and looks up to talk to the person on watch, but no one is there.

"Hello?" Jade calls out, "It's Jade, I need help!"

Jade hears the lock of the gate get unlocked, and the gate is swung open. Jade stares at Beck, Robbie, and Cat pointing guns at her. Jade looks at them unamused.

"What do you want?" Beck asks.

"I need help," Jade says, "Please, let me talk to you."

Beck looks stares at Jade, "Fine, but you have ten minutes."

Beck, Robbie, and Cat put their guns down, and let Jade enter the community.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey there! Here's chapter six! Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.**

**Follow me on Tumblr: JadeAndToriAreMyLife**

**Check out my other stories!**

**I'm a little burnt out from writing fanfic all the time and also from school and work. That means I will only be uploading this story for a while. Sorry for those of you who read my other stories.**

* * *

"Sorry for pointing a gun at you," Cat apologizes as Beck locks the gate, "Beck made me do it!"

"It's fine," Jade says.

"Are you okay?" Robbie asks.

"I'm fine," Jade says, "I just need to talk to Beck, alone."

Beck turns towards Jade, "Let's go."

Beck leads Jade to his house. They walk into his house and he closes the door behind them. Beck moves to the couch and sits down. Jade sits down next to him.

"Before you start," Beck says, "Do you know where Tori and Andre are? They went out for a supply run a few days ago, and they haven't returned."

Jade shakes her head, "No. I'm sorry they went missing."

Beck sighs, "So, what do you need help with?"

Jade clasps her hands together and looks over at Beck. "I have a few questions about your community."

Beeck gives Jade a questioning look, "Why?"

Jade's eyes widen, not knowing what to say. "Uhm, I was thinking of starting a newspaper," Jade says. "I want to try to make life feel as normal as possible. I think a newspaper would help." Jade high fives herself in her head for coming up with the excuse.

Beck nods, "I think that's a good idea."

"So, you won't mind answering some questions?" Jade asks.

"Nope, go for it."

"Do you have a pen and a piece of paper?" Jade asks, "Just so I remember your answers."

Back stands up, "I should have those around her somewhere." Beck moves to a bookshelf and pulls out a notebook. He then moves to his kitchen table and picks up a pen. He returns to the couch, sitting down. He hands the notebook and the pen to Jade.

"Thanks," Jade says, opening the notebook and clicking the pen. Jade quickly scribbles something on the paper. She slides the notebook over to Beck, who picks it up. Beck reads what Jade wrote down. He looks up at Jade with wide eyes, nodding. He slides the notebook back to Jade.

"So," Jade says. "How many people do you have in this community?"

Beck leans back, "There's about twenty of us."

Jade writes the answer down in the notebook on a fresh sheet of paper, knowing she'll need to show it to Adley. "Do you guys have a lot of weapons?"

"We don't have a significant amount, but we manage," Beck says.

Jade writes the answer down. "Do you only have one entrance to the community?"

"Yes, just the front gate."

Jade writes the answer down. "One last question, do you always have someone on watch?"

"Yes," Beck says, "We can't take any chances."

Jade writes the answer down, one final time. "Thank you, Beck."

"Of course," Beck says.

"Well, I should get going," Jade says, standing up.

Beck stands up, "I'll see you out."

Beck leads Jade out of his house and to the gate. He reaches for the notebook and pen in Jade's hands. He flips to the previous page, rereading what Jade wrote:

_I know where Tori and Andre are. The three of us were taken by scavengers. The scavengers made me one of them, but I'm just using the chance to find a way out. They want to take this community over. Play along, and don't say anything stupid, they hooked up a mic to me. _

Beck scribbles something down, handing the notebook and pen back to Jade. Jade looks down at the pad.

_Are you sure you got it? I can send backup. _

"Are you sure you have to go?" Beck asks.

"Unfortunately," Jade says. She quickly writes down on the paper. Jade rips out the piece of paper with her information on it. She hands the notebook to Beck.

_Yes. They said they'll kill Tori and Andre if anything suspicious happens. I'll bring them back as soon as we get away. _

Beck nods and Jade. "Well, let me just unlock the gate, and you're free to go." Beck unlocks the gate and opens it.

"Bye," Jade says, walking out of the community.

"Bye," Beck says.

* * *

Jade sits in Adley's office across from Adley. "Good work tonight," Adley says.

"Thanks," Jade says.

"He still trusts you," Adley says, looking at Jade. "That's good. We might be able to use that against them." Jade nods. "I'm going to send you to post three. You'll be there overnight until the mid afternoon. Then you'll have some time to rest before part three of your orientation."

"Part three?" Jade asks. "How many parts are there?"

"Just three," Adley says. "You're almost done." Adley sets her hands on the desk. "Part three is the hardest. Which is why I'm going to let you get some lunch and rest up before."

"That's generous," Jade says.

"I know," Adley says. "You will be the only person up inside since post three is the only post worth watching overnight. So you won't be getting a walkie talkie." Adley reaches into her desk and slides Jade an orange. "You'll need this as a snack to keep you going. Now, go head to post three and tell whoever is there that they have the rest of the night off."

Jade grabs the orange and stands up, "Will do."

* * *

Three hours after Jade got sent to post three, she's certain that everyone else is asleep. Jade moves to the cell and unlocks it. She pulls the door open and walks in. Tori and Andre are on opposite sides of the cell, not talking to each other. Jade's eyes meet Tori's and Jade sees the tiredness in her eyes. Jade pulls the orange out of her jacket pocket. "I brought you guys an orange."

Andre glares over at Tori, rolling his eyes. "Tori will probably get more than I do." He turns back towards the wall.

Jade raises her pierced eyebrow and looks at Tori. "What's his deal?"

Tori sighs, "He claims I didn't split the granola bar evenly. It was split perfectly!"

Jade hands the orange to Tori, "Well, here."

Tori accepts the orange and sets it in her lap. "How are you holding up?" Tori looks up at Jade.

"I'm fine," Jade says. "I saw Beck today."

Tori's eyes widen and Andre rolls over to look at Jade.

"You saw Beck?" Andre asks.

"Yeah," Jade says, "They sent me over with a mic on, so they could hear everything we said. I had to use a pen and some paper to tell Beck about the situation."

"So he knows about us?" Tori asks. "Is he coming to save us?"

Jade shakes her head, "No, I told him not to."

"And why's that?" Andre asks angrily.

"Because," Jade says, turning towards Andre. "If anything suspicious happens, they're going to kill you two!"

"Have you found a way to escape yet?" Tori asks.

Jade looks over at Tori, "Not yet, I'm still working on that part."

"I hope you find something soon," Andre says, rolling back to face the wall.

"Are you doing okay?" Jade asks, looking at Tori.

Tori nods, "I'm… holding up."

"I'm going to get us out of here," Jade says. "And soon."

"I know," Tori says, "I believe you."

"Good," Jade says. "I don't think I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

Tori frowns, "Why not?"

"Because they're putting me through some sort of orientation," Jade says with a shrug, "And part three is tomorrow night. But, apparently I need to be fully charged for part three."

"Part three?" Tori questions. "What were part on and two?"

"Part two was going to the community and getting information from Beck."

"And part one?" Tori asks.

"Part one w-" Jade cuts off, hearing a banging noise from outside the cell. Jade pulls her gun out of the holster. She walks to the cell door, popping her head out, looking into the hallway. Jade exits into the hallway and quickly closes and locks the cell door. She leans up against the wall opposite of the door.

"Where were you?"

Jade turns, seeing a figure down the hallway. "I was right here." Jade holsters her gun.

"I didn't see you two seconds ago."

"I don't know what you want me to say," Jade says, looking at the figure, "I've been here the entire time."

"Whatever," The figure scoffs, "I was sent to check on you. You seem fine."

"Yup, I'm fine." Jade watches as the figure walks away, and leaves post three. Jade lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Damn, that was close," Jade whispers to herself.

* * *

Jade jumps when there's a loud banging on her door. "Jade, it's time for part three of orientation!" Jade stands up and unlocks her door. She opens it, seeing Adley. Adley smiles at Jade, "Did you have a nice rest?"

"It was fine," Jade says, crossing her arms over her chest. Jade didn't get one blink of sleep. She's been laying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about how to get out of here.

"Good," Adley says, "You can go ahead and eat dinner. Once you're done, come meet me in my office."

"Will do," Jade says.

Adley walks away and Jade sighs. Jade grabs her jacket and pulls it on before leaving her room. Jade makes her way to the cafeteria and grabs some food. She sits down at an empty table. Jade unwraps the granola bar and takes a bite. Someone sits down next to her. Jade looks up and sees Blake.

"Hey," Blake sats, setting her food down on the table.

"Hey," Jade says, taking another bite of her granola bar.

"So, you have part three of orientation tonight?" Blake asks, opening a can of beans with a knife.

Jade nods, "Yup." Jade opens her water bottle and takes a sip.

"Good luck," Blake says, her mouth full with beans. Jade raises her pierced eyebrow. Blake notices and swallows the beans, "It's just, part three is the hardest." Blake shovels more beans into her mouth. "Half of the people that go through orientation, don't make it out alive."

"Oh," Jade says, crumbling up her empty granola bar wrapper.

Blake looks up at Jade, "I'm sure you'll be fine though. You're smart and strong."

Jade slowly nods, taking another sip of her water. "Yeah."

"I know you're planning to escape," Blake says, pushing her can of beans aside.

Jade looks at Blake, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Blake scoffs, "I'm sure you don't. I just wondered why you put most of your portions into your backpack."

Jade glares at Blake, "How do you know about that."

Blake shrugs, "Adley has been making me check your room. I found most of your portions in your backpack." Jade opens her mouth to speak, but Adley cuts her off. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her."

"Why not?" Jade asks.

"Because," Blake says, unpeeling her banana, "I want to come with you."

Jade looks at Blake. This is a trick. Blake told Adley about the food, and now Blake is trying to get Jade to admit she's trying to sneak out. "Then I have bad news for you," Jade says. "I'm not escaping, and I'm not trying to." Jade stands up and grabs her water bottle, can of corn, and her apple. "You're lucky I won't tell Adley about this conversation." Jade walks away.

Jade quickly makes her way to her room, locking the door behind her. She opens the closet door and pulls her backpack out. She stuffs her leftover food in her ful backpack and zips it. She shoves her backpack back into the closet and closes the door. Jade walks to her door and unlocks it. She opens it and jumps back, seeing Blake on the other side. Blake shoves Jade into the room and closes and locks the door.

"What are you doing?" Jade asks.

Blake takes a step towards Jade, "I know you're trying to escape."

"I already told you," Jade says, "I'm not."

"Then why did I hear you speaking to the prisoners last night?" Blake asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You must have been hallucinating," Jade says, "Because I was not talking to them."

"They're your friends," Blake says, "I know it's tempting to talk to them when you get sent to post three."

Jade lifts her shirt, and points to the scavenger branding, "I'm one of you! I'm better off without them!" Jade says, dropping her shirt back.

Blake shakes her head, "You're just trying to cover your ass."

"Do you think if I was trying to cover my ass," Jade says, "That I would go through with getting branded?"

Blake shrugs, "It was that or get killed." Blake takes another step towards Jade. "Look, I want out too. Let me help you and your friends." Jade eyes Blake, not knowing whether or not to trust her. "You can trust me," Blake says. "I didn't tell Adley about the food in your backpack, or that you were talking to your friends last night."

"That was you?" Jade asks.

Blake nods, "Yeah. Adley sent me down there, not trusting you yet. I didn't tell her you were talking to them. I told her you were watching the cell." Blake uncrosses her arms from her chest. "Adley also thinks that you tried to pull something when she took you to your community yesterday."

"What?" Jade asks.

Blake nods, "Let me help you."

Jade sighs, "What's in it for you?"

"Just to be a part of your community," Blake says.

"And you're actually going to help?" Jade asks.

"Yes," Blake says. "I know this place like the back of my hand."

"Okay," Jade says, holding her hand out for Blake, "You've got a deal."

Blake smiles, shaking Jade's hand. "I've been trying to get out of this place for a year!"

"Well, now you can," Jade says. "How quickly can we do this?"

"We can aim for tonight," Blake says.

"Good."

"I should warn you," Blake says, "Part three of orientation." Blake looks at Jade, "I'll tell you what it is."

Jade nods, "Yes, it'll help me."

Blake shakes her head, "Me telling you won't help you."

"What is it?" Jade asks.

"It's…"

* * *

Jade raises her hand and knocks on the door leading to Adley's office. "Come in!" Adley's voice is muffled by the door. Jade grabs the door knobs and twists it, opening the door. She walks in and closes the door behind her. "Ah, Jade," Adley says, closing the folder on her desk. "Are you ready for part three of orientation?"

"Yes," Jade nods.

Adley smiles, "That's good." Adley stands up and grabs the folder. She walks over to the filing cabinet and opens it. She places the folder in the filing cabinet and closes it. Adley looks back at Jade, "Let's get going."

Adley leads Jade through the halls. "I'm going to take you to your friends," Adley says. Jade opens her mouth to speak, but Adley picks up her walkie talkie and speaks into it. "Blake, I need you to meet me at the location for part three of Jade's orientation. Meet me there in about five minutes." Adley hooks her walkie talkie back to her jeans. Adley pushes the door to post three open. She unlocks the cell door and opens it. She looks to Jade, ushering her over. "Come on, don't be shy." Adely steps into the cell, Jade stepping in right after.

"What are _you _doing here?" Tori asks, looking at Adley.

"Well," Adley says, putting a hand on Jade's shoulder. "Jade is going to be doing something that's a little dangerous in about ten minutes. I wanted to give you the chance to say goodbye." Adley lifts her hand from Jade's shoulder. "You know… just in case." Tori's eyes widen and she looks at Jade, who stares at the ground. "So, I'll give you… two minutes. That sounds like enough time." Adley steps out of the cell, closing the door behind her.

Tori rushes over to Jade, wrapping her arms around her. "Is this true?" Tori whispers.

Jade nods, "I'm not supposed to know about it, but there's someone helping me."

Jade whispers. "We're getting out tonight. If I don't make it out of this thing alive, Blake, she's going to help you."

Tori pulls back from Jade, looking at Jade. "You can't die," Tori whispers, tears in her eyes.

Jade grabs Tori by her shoulders and pulls her forward. Jade presses her lips against Tori's. Tori reciprocates the kiss. Jade pulls away, looking at Tori. Tori licks her lips, looking at Jade. Jade turns to Andre, who has a shocked expression.

"Andre," Jade whispers. "You need to take care of Tori."

Andre nods, "I will. I always do."

Jade nods, "Good."

Andre holds his hand out for Jade. "I'll never forget everything you've done for us."

Jade shakes his hand. "I'll never forget you picking me up off the side of the road. I really appreciate it."

The cell door opens, and Adley walks in. "Let's go, Jade. It's time."

Jade looks at Tori and Andre. Tori has tears running down her face and Andre has a sad look on his face. Jade gives them a small smile before turning and following Adley out of the cell.

* * *

Jade follows Adley through a door that leads outside. As soon as she steps outside, Jade feels the breeze brush against her arms, having left her jacket in her room. Adley comes to a stop near a fence. Jade looks up, seeing Blake.

"Blake," Adley says, "Take care of getting Jade ready, I'm going to go get the crowd ready." Adley walks away, walking around the outside of the fence, leaving Blake and Jade alone.

Blake looks at Jade, "I need to take all of your weapons."

Jade takes her gun and knife out of their holsters. "I need to know you're still going to help my friends if I die." Jade looks at Blake.

Blake nods, "I will. I promise."

Jade clenches her jaw. A promise. Jade has never had good luck with promises. Everybody that made a promise to Jade seemed to have broken the promise. Jade holds her weapons out to Blake, who takes them.

"I appreciate it. They mean a lot to me."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey there! Here's chapter seven. I apologize for the late post, it's been a long day and I just got home. Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.

Follow me on Tumblr: JadeAndToriAreMyLife

Check out my other stories!

* * *

"The girl, her name is Tori. She may not seem like it, but she's very strong. The boy, his name is Andre. He's sweet on the inside and tough on the outside." Jade runs a hand through her hair. "Did you grab my backpack?"

"Yes. I have it ready to go."

"Good," Jade sighs. "I appreciate everything you're doing."

"You care about her," Blake says.

Jade nods, "Yeah, I do."

Blake looks at Jade's weapons. She moves her hands forward, holding Jade's weapons out to Jade. "Take these."

"What?" Jade looks at Blake.

"No one is on watch right now," Blake runs a hand through her hair. "They're all waiting for the show." Blake sighs. "If you go now, you can get your friends out of here."

"No," Jade says, catching on, "Definitely not."

Seeing as Jade isn't going to take her weapons, Blake slides them into Jade's holsters. "This isn't up for discussion."

"Blake." Jade looks at the walkie talkie hooked to Blakes pants.

Blake grabs her walkie talkie, "Yes?"

"We're ready out here," Adley says. "Is Jade ready?"

Blake looks up at Jade, looking into her eyes. "Yes."

"Send her out."

Blake shoves the walkie talkie into Jade's hands. "Go get your girl." Blake turns to make her way into the fenced in area.

Jade grabs Blakes shoulder, turning her around. "No. You're not taking my place. You said you've been looking to get out of here for a year, here's your chance."

"They're your friends," Blake says. "It would be hard for me to fit in with them."  
Jade shakes her head, "I've known them for about a week. The entire community took me in with open arms." Jade sighs, "I can't let you do this for me."

"You're just a kid," Blake says.

"So are you!" Jade exclaims. "I'm not letting you take my place." Jade hands the walkie talkie back to Blake before emptying her holsters and handing Blake her weapons. "Anyway, I might make it out alive…" Jade trails off, knowing it isn't likely.

"Jade, this isn't a real orientation. Adley made this up to kill you without raising suspicion."  
"I know," Jade nods.

"Blake, what's the holdup?" Adley's voice projects through the walkie talkie.

"She's putting up a fight," Blake lies.

"Do you need backup?" Adley asks.

"No," Blake says, "I've got it handled."

"Hurry it up."

Blake looks at Jade, "Are you sure."

"Yes," Jade wipes her sweaty hands on her jeans. "Take care of them, make sure they get to the community in one piece. Tell Tori," Jade pauses, swallowing the lump in her throat. "That I love her."

Blake nods. "I'll be in the stands. As soon as it's over, I'm running to post three to get your friends and book it out of here."

"You should do it now," Jade says. "You don't want to chance running into someone later."

Blake shrugs, "I want to see Adley's face when you make it out alive."

Jade shakes her head, "_If_ I make it out alive."

"You're strong Jade," Blake says. "Unfortunately, you have to go now. If we wait any longer, Adley will send someone down here."

Jade nods. "Thank you for doing what you're doing." Jade holds her hand out.

Blake takes Jade's hand, shaking it. "Of course."

Jade looks at the gate connected to the fence. She points at it, "Through there?"

Blake nods, "Yes." Jade walks through the gate, Blake closes it behind her. "Good luck out there."

Jade walks further into the fenced area. She looks around, noticing there are bleachers set up surrounding half of the fenced in area. Bright stadium lights shine down on the fenced in area.

"Welcome!" Adley's voice comes through speakers surrounding the bleachers and the fenced in area. "We're here to start a new tradition!" The scavengers in the bleachers cheer. "I call this… Biter territory." Jade looks around the bleachers, looking for Adley. Jade spots her at the top, row five, as there aren't that many rows of bleachers. "The goal is to survive the biters for ten minutes." The scavengers cheer again. "Our first volunteer." Jade sees the smirk on Adley's face. "Jade." Jade sees Blake arrive next to Adley. "Open the doors!" Adley points behind Jade.

Jade turns around, seeing three giant sheds. Three scavengers quickly open the sheds before taking off and making it out of the fenced area. Jade watches, as biters start to file out of the sheds.

"Our contestant doesn't have any weapons," Adley's voice comes through the speakers. The biters file out of the sheds quicker at the loud noise. "She's defenseless."

Jade looks at the biters. _Fuck, there's no way I'm surviving this_. Jade looks around, trying to think of what to do. Jade sees a stick. But of course it's surrounded by biters. Jade looks for a clear path to the stick, she doesn't see one. Jade curses. Her breathing picks up as the biters get closer to her and she starts to run out of room to back up.

"Looks like our contestant is running out of room," Adley's voice comes through the speakers. Adley's voice grabs the attention of the biters, making them start to roam towards the speaker which happens to be on the other side of the fenced in area. This makes an opening for the stick. Jade runs through the wave of biters, dodging their grasps. Jade bends down and grabs the stick. She stands up and wacks the nearest biter in the head with the stick, sending it to the ground.

Jade looks up at Adley, seeing Blake leave. _Good, she's finally leaving. Andre and Tori are going to get out of here._ Jade is brought out of her thoughts when a hand grips her shoulder. She spins around and stabs the biter's head with the stick. She pulls the stick out of the biter's head and makes her way out of the middle of the biter wave.

Jade trips and falls, slamming hard onto the ground, landing on the stick. Jade groans, and rolls onto her back. She's met with a biter right on top of her. Jade pushes her legs out, holding the biter away with her feet. Jade looks to her side, looking for the stick. Jade lets out a frustrated sigh, seeing that the stick is now broken, due to her landing on it.

"Fuck!" Jade cries out. Jade kicks her legs out, sending the biter onto its back. Jade quickly scurries to her feet, looking around. Biters surround her. _I'm screwed. _ Jade looks at the fence, getting an idea. The gate isn't locked, if Jade can just make her way back to the gate, she can get out of here. Jade runs in the direction of the gate, dodging the biter's and their grasps towards her.

Sweat drips down Jade's face. She used to think that sweating was gross. But then the apocalypse happened and she realized there were a lot of things that were ten times grosser than sweating.

Jade shoves a biter away, shoving it into other biters, causing them to fall over. Jade looks up, seeing the gate in view. Jade looks down, feeling something grip her leg. A biter is grasped onto her leg. She takes her other foot and slams it down on the biter's head. Her combat boot crushes the biter's skull and spews its brains onto the floor. Jade keeps moving towards the gate.

Jade reaches the gate and she shoves it open. She quickly shuts it behind her and bends over, putting her hands on her knees. She tries to catch her breath.

"Are you okay?" Jade's head snaps up. Blake stands in front of her, Jade's backpack on her shoulders. Jade nods and stands up straight, still trying to catch her breath. "I saw you go down, I thought you were gone."

"I managed to get out of there," Jade says. "We should go get Tori and Andre and leave while we still can." Jade looks back at the fenced area, "I don't think they saw me leave, there's too many biters in there to keep track of anything."

Blake nods. She slides Jade's backpack off her shoulders and hands it to Jade, "I believe this belongs to you."

Jade takes her backpack and slides it onto her shoulders. Blake hands Jade her handgun and knife. Jade holsters her weapons and looks at Blake. "We should get going before someone finds out I'm not in there anymore," Jade points her thumb over her shoulder.

Blake nods, "We should add a distraction, just in case."

Jade runs a hand down her face, "Do you have an idea?"

Blake smirks, "I do." Jade walks behind Jade and opens the gate, leaving it open.

"I like your thinking," Jade says.

"Let's go!"

Jade and Blake run into the building. Jade watches as the biters start to roam out of the fenced in area before slamming the door behind her.

Jade and Blake run through the building. "Where did Adley even get that many biters?" Jade asks.

"I couldn't tell you," Blake says, "She must have been collecting them for a while."

"Where are you two going?"

Jade and Blake stop running and whip around. Jade grabs her gun from her holster and aims it.

"Woah!" The scavenger says.

"Sorry," Blake says. "We're looking for someone who escaped." Blake puts a hand on Jade's arm. Jade lowers her arms, still holding the gun in her hands.

"Oh, it wasn't called in," The scavenger says.

"You're walkie must be dead," Blake says.

"It's not," The scavenger says.

"Why are you here?" Blake asks.

"I just came to get a snack for the show outside."

"The show is still going on," Jade says. "Adley sent us to look for the person who escaped."

The scavenger eyes the two girls in front of him. "I better double check with Adley," The scavenger reaches for his walkie talkie.

Jade raises her arms, pointing the gun at the scavenger. "Don't move." The scavenger stops his movements and looks at Jade with wide eyes.

"Jade," Blake whispers. "He's not worth it."

"He's going to narc on us," Jade whispers, holding her gaze on the scavenger. "We can't let him get away."

"There's a room we can lock him in," Blake whispers.

Jade nods, lowering her arms, "Let's do that."

"You're coming with us," Blake says.

"No way," The scavenger says.

Jade looks past the scavenger, seeing biters break through the door she and Blake came through. Jade raises her arms and points the gun at the man.

"Jade," Blake warns.

Jade aims down the sight of her gun and pulls the trigger. The walkie talkie connected to the scavenger's pants explodes into pieces. "Let's go," Jade says, holstering her gun.

Jade and Blake start to run. "That was something." Blake says, looking over at Jade.

"I wasn't going to kill him," Jade says.

"It sure seemed like it," Blake says as they round a corner, "And that gunshot drew the attention of the biters that were coming through the door."

Jade looks at Blake, "Those biters were going to come that way anyway."

Jade shoves the door to post three open and runs in. Jade runs to the cell door and unlocks it. Jade throws the door open and walks in. Jade's eyes widen at the empty cell. _No. This can't be happening._

"What's taking so lo-" Blake walks into the cell. "Oh no."

Jade turns towards Blake. Blake notices the fear and anger in Jade's eyes. "Where are they?" Jade asks.

"I don't know!" Blake exclaims. "Check the other cells!"

Jade and Blake quickly check all of the other cells; they're all empty.

"Where could they be?" Jade asks, turning towards Blake. "Is there any other place they could be?"

Jade watches as Blake thinks. "The only other place I can think of is the basement."

"Then we're going to the basement!" Jade says. "Lead the way."

"Jade," Blake says.

"What?" Jade asks.

"You have to keep in mind, Adley might've already…" Blake trails off.

"No." Jade says. "Now take me to the damn basement."

Blake nods, and starts running, leading the way to the basement. As Blake pulls the door to post three open to leave, she's met with a biter. She shrieks. Jade pulls out her knife and stabs it in the head. Jade pulls her knife out and the biter falls to the ground.

"Thanks," Blake says.

Jade nods at Blake. "We need to be careful. There could be biters anywhere."

"Yeah," Blake says. "Maybe we should stick to a jog?"

"Good idea."

Blake leads Jade through the building, having the occasional run in with a biter. Blake comes to a stop as they reach a door. She reaches forward and turns the doorknob, but it doesn't turn.

"It's locked," Blake says.

"Look out," Jade says. Blake backs up. Jade kicks the door hard. The door flies open, slamming against the wall on the other side of the door with a loud bang.

"That probably attracted some biters," Blake says, "We need to make this quick."

Jade runs down the stairs that lead into the basement, Blake right behind her. Jade's eyes quickly adjust to the dark as they scan the basement. Jade and Blake walk through the basement.

A body slams into Jade's sending her to the ground, the back of her head slamming into the ground hard. "Fuck!" Jade curses in pain, grabbing her head. She looks up to see who slammed into her. "Vega?"

"Jade?" Tori kneels down next to Jade. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," Jade sits up and rubs the back of her head. "I'm fine."

"I thought you were a scavenger!" Tori says.

Jade stands up, Tori following. "Are you okay?"

Tori nods, "Yes. Andre and I were thrown down here not too long ago."

"Where is he?"  
"Hey! Get your hands off of me lady!" Andre''s voice echoes through the basement.

"Shut up!" Blake's voice echoes.

"Can you get this duct tape off my hands?" Tori asks, turning around. Jade pulls her knife out of her holster. She cuts the tape, allowing Tori to pull it off of her hands. Jade holsters her knife. Tori turns back towards Jade, "Thanks."

Blake and Andre come into view. Blake shoves Andre forward. He stumbles and bumps into Jade, causing her to stumble back. She quickly regains her balance. Andre looks up, seeing who he bumped into.

"Jade, you're alive!" Andre says.

"Yes." Jade looks between Tori and Andre. "We need to move quickly and silently. There are biters up there," Jade points up the steps.

"I managed to get an extra gun," Blake says, "I put it in your backpack."

Jade slips her backpack off of her shoulders and unzips it. Laying on top is a handgun. Jade picks it up and notices her leather jacket was under the gun. She quickly takes it out and slides it on. She zips her backpack up and pulls it onto her shoulders. "Who wants it?"

"Tori. She's better with a gun than I am." Andre says.

Jade hands the gun to Tori. Tori inspects the gun, turning the safety off. "Here," Blake says, handing Andre a knife. "It's better than nothing."

"We need to get going," Jade says, jogging up the stairs. The rest of the group follows.

Jade takes her knife out of her holster, holding it tightly in her hands. She slowly opens the door that leads back into the building. Jade looks around and gives the clear, not seeing anything.

Jade jogs out into the hallway. "Blake, which is the quickest way out of here?" Jade asks. Blake frowns. "What?" Jade asks.

"We have to go back the way we came in," Blake says.

"You're kidding, right?" Jade whisper-yells.

"I wish I was."

"What's wrong with that way?" Tori asks.

"That's where all the scavengers and biters are!" Jade says.

"We can power through," Blake says, "I know we can."

Jade sighs, "And that's the only way?"

Blake nods, "Unfortunately."

"Let's go," Jade says, jogging in that direction.

When they reach the hallway that leads to the door Jade and Blake came in, the group comes to a stop. Jade tightens her grip on her knife, and peeks her head around the corner. Jade is grabbed by the collar of her jacket and shoved into the wall. Jade's knife flies out of her hand and onto the floor. Once her eyes refocus, Jade sees a scavenger holding her against the wall.

"Adley will be happy that I finally caught you!" The scavenger punches Jade, causing her head to fling to the side. "She knew you were up to something!" Jade brings her foot up and kicks the scavenger, kicking him back. "Does our symbol mean anything to you?" The scavenger asks, pulling his shirt up to show his brand. It's in the same spot as Jade's. "I know you have it!"

"It means nothing to me!" Jade spits, pulling her gun from her holster and pointing it at the man.

"You won't kill me," The scavenger says, "You don't have it in you!"  
Jade clenches her jaw. He's right. Jade has never killed a person before, and she didn't want to start now. She aims her gun at his leg and pulls the trigger.

"You fucking bitch!" The scavenger screams, falling to the ground.

Jade leans down and picks her knife up. She holsters her gun. The side steps, looking at her friends.

"We need to go, that definitely drew the attention of any biters nearby!" The group continues forward cautiously.

A high pitch scream makes Jade, Tori, and Andre whip around. Jade's face falls at the sight. A biter is attached to Blake, biting into her shoulder. Andre quickly stabs the biter. Blake brings her hand up to her shoulder.

"No," Blake cries, "This can't be happening."

Jade swallows the lump in her throat. Blake has gotten her so far, and now she's gone, just like that. "Blake," Jade says, "You should sit down." Jade walks over to Blake.

Blake collides her hand with Jade's face. Jade scrunches her face at the tingling in her cheek. Blake's upset, and dying, Jade understands where the slap came from.

"This is _your _fault!" Blake leans back against the wall. "You just had to get your friends!"

"Bla-" Jade cuts off when Blake's hand meets her cheek again.

"Jade!"

Jade whips around and Tori's alert. Biters are making their way into the door. Jade turns back towards Blake. Jade holsters her knife.

"I should've just left you!" Blake spits.

"You should've," Jade says. "If I could switch places with you, I would."

Blake laughs sarcastically, "Well you can't!"

"Blake, you did so much for me," Jade says, "I'm grateful for that. You don't understand how grateful I am." Jade puts her hand on Blake's unbitten shoulder.

Blake glares at Jade.  
"Jade!" Tori warns again.

Jade looks over her shoulder, seeing the biters getting closer.

"Go," Blake says, tears falling down her face. Jade opens her mouth to speak, but Blake cuts her off. "Just shoot me first, please." Blake shoves her gun at Jade.

Jade has never been in this situation. She hasn't killed a person. Any living person. She has never been in the situation where she needed to put someone out of their misery.

"Jade, please," Blake says. "It hurts."

Jade aims the gun at Blake's head. "Thank you for your help," Jade says. Jade closes her eyes and pulls the trigger. She hears Blake's body hit the ground. Jade opens her eyes and makes sure not to look at the ground. Jade turns around, handing Blake's gun to Andre, "Put this to use!"

Jade moves in front of Tori, taking her knife out of her holster. She grabs the closest biter and grabs the top of its head. She shoves it's knife through its eye. She takes the knife out of the biter's head and let's go of it, sending it to the ground.

Jade, Tori, and Andre make quick work of the biters inside. They quickly make their way outside, so close to freedom.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey there! Here's chapter eight! Sorry for not uploading yesterday, I was out all day. Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.**

* * *

Jade, Tori, and Andre take in their surroundings. Scavengers and bitters are scattered around the area; the scavengers fighting off the biters.

"We're so close!" Jade says, "We just need to make a break for it!"

"It feels like it's been forever since I've been outside," Andre says, taking a deep breath.

"Celebrate later," Tori says, "We need to make it out alive first!"

Jade looks around, looking for the best path to take. Her eyes land on the gate leading towards the fenced in area. "Can you guys climb a fence?" Jade asks.

"Yeah," Andre says.

"Yup," Tori says.

"Perfect, follow me!" Jade says. Jade takes off running, her knife tightly wrapped in her hand. Tori and Andre follow Jade. Jade runs through the open gate. She waits for Tori and Andre to run through before shutting the gate, pulling the lock down.

"Stay alert," Jade says, "This is where the biters came from." Jade moves forward, leading Tori and Andre into the fenced in area. Jade notices it's empty, not biters are left. "I think we're safe," Jade says, breaking into a run, as do Tori and Andre, "But still be cautious."

Jade, Tori, and Andre are almost to the opposite side of the fenced in area when a bullet wizzes past Jade's ear. Jade turns around, seeing Adley.

Adley smirks at Jade, "Where do you think you're going?"

"We're leaving!" Jade says, "I'm done playing this stupid game of yours!

"Oh, I don't think you are!" Adley surges forward and grabs Tori. Adley turns Tori so she's facing away from Adley. Adley moves her arms around Tori's neck, holding her in place. Adley shoves the barrel of her gun to Tori's temple.

"Let her go!" Jade demands.

Adley smirks, "I don't think so."

Andre raises his gun at Adley. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Adley warns. "I _do_ have a gun pressed to your friend's head."

Andre lowers his gun.

"That's what I thought." Adley looks back at Jade. "I knew you were up to something. And I knew someone was working with you. You were supposed to die in that biter hoard!"

"I outsmarted you," Jade says.

Adley smirks, "Did you? You'd be gone by now if you did." Jade clenches her jaw. "Who was it? Who was the mole in my operation?" Jade doesn't answer. "Don't test me, I will put a bullet in her head!"

"It was Blake!" Jade screams, "Are you happy?"

"It makes sense," Adley says, "She was the one I always sent to spy on you. She always said you were doing the right thing. I was always suspicious of you." Adley looks at Jade. "I'm surprised you let me brand you, I didn't think you would let that actually happen."

"I had to blend in," Jade says, "I had to act the part!"

Adley laughs, "And it was all for nothing because you're all going to die."

Andre raises his gun at Adley again, "Let her go!"

Adley rolls her eyes and points her gun at Andre. Jade pulls her gun from her holster and points it at Adley. While Adley has her gun pointed at Andre, ready to shoot him, Jade aims at Adley carefully, not wanting to shoot Tori. Adley pulls the trigger of her gun, a bullet whizzing at Andre. Jade aims her gun at Adley's leg and pulls the trigger. Jade looks over at Andre, seeing him grip his shoulder. Jade looks back over at Adley, seeing her on the ground. Tori quickly backs away from Adley.

"Come on!" Andre says, "Leave her!"

"Take Tori to the fence and climb it," Jade looks at Andre, "I'll meet you on the other side."

"What're you going to do?" Andre asks, fear in his eyes.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Jade says, "And nothing bad."

Andre nods, "Tori! Come on!" Tori runs over to Andre. Jade walks towards Adley and Tori gives a questioning look before Andre pulls her away.

Jade looks down at Adley. She leans down and grabs Adley's gun. "You know, for a scavenger, you have pretty bad aim."

Adley scoffs at Jade, "Whatever."

"You went through all this trouble to kill me," Jade looks at Adley, "You could've just killed me from the beginning."

"I needed you to think I trusted you," Adley says, "Had to kill you in an unsuspicious way."

Jade frowns, "That's what Blake said."

"She's smart," Adley says, "But she's dead when I get to her."

Jade frowns, "You won't get that chance."

"Oh, you killed her?" Adley laughs, "I didn't think you had it in you, kid."

"I didn't kill her!" Jade scoffs, "A biter got her."

"Serves her right," Adley says, "No one betrays me."

Jade crouches down next to Adley. "If I _ever _see you again, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Just kill me now, coward!"

Jade shakes her head, "No. I'm not going to kill you. Though, I should." Jade looks over her shoulder, seeing that Tori and Andre just dropped to the other side of the fence. "I want you to sit here and suffer." Jade stands up and walks away.

"Get back here and finish me!" Adley yells.

Jade reaches the fence and stuffs Adley's gun into the pocket of her leather jacket. Jade quickly climbs the fence. She reaches the top and starts to climb down. When she gets to a safe enough height, Jade hops down.

"Is your shoulder okay?" Jade asks, looking at Andre.

"It'll be fine," Andre grips his shoulder. "I'll have Robbie and Cat take a look at it once we get back."

Jade turns towards Tori, "Are you okay?"

Tori nods, "Better now that I'm not locked up in there."

"I'm glad we got out of there," Jade turns to look at the building they just emerged from.

Tori reaches down and grabs Jade's hand, interlocking their fingers. Jade turns to look at her. "Me too," Tori smiles at Jade.

* * *

The sun is directly above them, beating down on the trio as they finally approach the gate. They've been walking all night and morning. Jade looks up to the boy on watch. "Hey let us in!" The boy scrambles out of the chair and out of sight. The gate opens and the boy stands there. Jade, Tori, and Andre walk in and the boy closes and locks the gate behind them. Jade looks at the boy. "Go get Beck." The boy nods before walking away. "Run!" Jade shouts. The boy takes off into a sprint.

"You two should head to the medical center," Jade says. "Andre, you need to get that gunshot wound checked out. Vega, you should get a check up, make sure you're alright."

"What about you?" Tori asks. "You definitely need to get looked over. You weren't exactly treated the best."

Jade shrugs, "I'm fine."

Tori eyes Jade, "Come on, Andre." Jade watches as Tori and Andre walk away, heading towards the medical center.

Beck and the boy come running up to the gate. "She told me to get you!" The boy says.

Beck nods, "Go back to watch, I've got this." The boy scrambles up the ladder. Beck looks at Jade, "You look… like you've been through hell and back."

"I'll be fine," Jade says. "You'll be happy to know that Tori and Andre are back."

"They are?" Beck asks, excitement lacing his voice.

"They're in the medical center," Jade runs a hand through her hair. "Andre got shot and I suggested that Tori get looked over, just in case."

Beck turns, starting to head to the medical center. He stops and looks over his shoulder, looking at Jade. "Come on." Jade is hesitant, but she follows Beck to the medical center.

Beck and Jade walk into the medical center. Andre is laying on the hospital bed with his shirt off while Robbie looks at his shoulder. Tori sits in a chair off to the side and Cat checks over her.

"Tori!" Beck says, running up to Tori and engulfing her in a hug. Tori reciprocates the hug. Beck breaks the hug and turns towards Andre. He walks over to Andre, and they do a handshake. "I missed you both. I was so worried!"

"If it weren't for Jade, we'd still be there," Andre points at Jade. "She saved our lives."

Beck turns towards Jade, "Is that true?"

"I did what anyone would've," Jade shrugs.

"Not just anyone would do what you did," Tori says.

"I might have overreacted when I kicked you out," Beck scratches the back of his neck. "If you'd like, you can stay here. You've definitely been very helpful to us." Beck pulls his hand from his pocket and holds it out, "What do you say?"  
Jade looks at Beck's hand. She steps forward and shakes it, "I'd love to."

Beck smiles, "It's good to have you three back."

* * *

After Jade, Tori, and Andre got the medical help needed, they went to their houses, wanting to get some rest. Jade and Tori walk into their shared house. Tori makes her way to the stairs and Jade heads to the couch.

Tori looks at Jade from halfway up the stairs. "If you want, you can come up with me." Jade looks over at Tori. "I mean, we can share the bed. I'm sure you'd prefer a bed over the couch. Especially after the past few days."

"Sure," Jade says. Jade climbs the stairs, following Tori to the bedroom. Tori and Jade walk into the room and Tori shuts the door behind them.

"I'm going to change out of these clothes," Tori moves to the dresser. "I feel disgusting." Tori looks over her shoulder at Jade. "Do you want some clean clothes?"

Jade looks down at her clothes. They're covered in dirt and blood. "Yes." Jade takes her backpack off and places it on the floor.

Tori takes out clothes and hands them to Jade. "You can change in the bathroom," Tori points to the bathroom connecting to the bedroom.

Jade heads into the bathroom and closes the door behind her. Jade looks at herself in the mirror. Despite showering a few days ago, Jade is dirty again. A few cuts cover her face. Jade looks away from the mirror and starts to change. Jade slides her jacket off her shoulders and sets it onto the counter. She slips her jeans off and quickly pulls on the new pair. Jade grabs the bottom of her shirt and pulls her shirt over her head. Jade looks back into the mirror, looking at the brand mark on her side. She runs her fingers over it, hoping it would just rub off; it doesn't. Jade shakes her head and pulls the new shirt on. She grabs all of her dirty clothes and opens the bathroom door.

Tori is laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Hearing the bathroom door open, Tori lifts her head off the bed to look at Jade. "You can put those in the laundry basket," Tori points at the basket. "Laundry day should be one of these next few days."

Jade walks over to the laundry basket and plops her clothes in there, not putting her leather jacket in it. Jade places her leather jacket on top of her backpack. Jade takes her gun and her knife out of her holsters, setting them next to her backpack. Jade turns towards the bed, Tori is looking up at the ceiling again. Jade walks to the vacant side of the bed and slides onto the it, laying next to Tori.

Tori turns onto her side to look at Jade, supporting her head with her hand. "Can we talk about what happened?"

Jade turns towards Tori, imitating her pose. "Sure."

Tori bites her lip nervously. "It was mentioned a few times that you were branded?" Tori questions.

"Uhm, yeah." Jade looks around the bedroom, avoiding eye contact with Tori.

"Can I... " Tori pauses. "Can I see it?"

Jade's eyes land on Tori. "You want to see it?" Jade raises her pierced eyebrow.

"If you don't mind," Tori says.

Jade moves her hand to the hem of her shirt, she lifts her shirt just enough to see the branding. Tori's eyes move from Jade's to the branding on Jade's side. Tori lifts her hand, moving it to Jade's side. Tori brushes the branding with her fingers, much like Jade did in the bathroom.

"You did this to save us?" Tori asks, moving her eyes back to Jade's.

"Yes," Jade nods.

"And now you're stuck with this ugly thing," Tori frowns.

Jade's hand meets the hand that's still moving along her branding. She grabs it and interlocks their fingers, moving their hands in between them. "It could be a lot worse. I'd take this over being dead any day."

"Did it hurt?" Tori asks, looking at their hands.

"Like a bitch," Jade says.

"I'm sorry," Tori sighs.

"It's not your fault," Jade squeezes Tori's hand. "In fact, it's my fault. I should've been more careful in that shop. We wouldn't have gotten in that mess if I was."

"Hey," Tori moves her gaze from their interlocked fingers to Jade's face. "Don't blame yourself for what happened."

"But it is _my_ fault," Jade clenches her jaw. "You could've died because I wasn't careful!"

"But I didn't," Tori squeezes Jade's hand. "I'm alive and well." Jade moves her free hand up and runs it down her face. "Jade," Tori grabs Jade's hand with her own free hand. Tori pulls Jade's hand from her face. "It wasn't your fault."

Jade leans her head back on the pillow and looks at Tori. Jade knows it is one hundred percent her fault that they got taken. Had she been more careful to check her surroundings, Tori and Andre would've come back to the community, and Jade would've gone her own way. "Yeah," Jade takes a deep breath. She didn't want to argue with Tori about it, so she's dropping it. "What are you thinking about?" Jade notices Tori is deep in thought.

Tori's eyes meet Jade. "Just thinking about how you… k..kissed me." Tori's cheeks turn bright red.

"Oh," Jade rubs the back of her neck nervously. "What about it?"

"Just that I want to do it again." Tori's eyes widen when she realizes what she said. "I mean, uh. That came out wro-"

Jade removes her hand from Tori's, their hands no longer interlocked. She grabs Tori's face and pulls Tori towards her, pressing her lips lightly against Tori's. Tori's hand slides back to Jade's side, landing on skin as Jade never pulled her shirt back down. Jade slowly pulls back. She opens her eyes and looks at Tori, her eyes still closed. Tori slowly opens her eyes and looks at Jade. Tori smiles at Jade, who returns the smile.

"So, what does this mean?" Tori asks. Jade opens her mouth to speak, but a loud banging on the front door prevents her from doing so. "If we ignore it long enough, they'll go away," Tori whispers.

"What if it's an emergency?" Jade pulls away from Tori and sits up, her shirt falling back into place over her side. Tori's hand slides off of Jade's side and onto the bed.

"What if it's not?" Tori sits up, watching as Jade puts her weapons back into their holsters.

The knocking at the front door continues. Jade looks at Tori over her shoulder. "It seems important."

Tori groans and gets off the bed, grabbing her own weapon from the bedside table. "It better be."

Jade and Tori run down the stairs. Jade swings the door open and sees Andre. "Finally!" Andre huffs. "We need you at the picnic area," Andre looks at Jade. "Come on!" Andre says, running towards the gate.

"I'll be back," Jade looks at Tori before running off.

"What made you assume I wasn't coming?"

Jade looks to her right, seeing Tori running next to her. Tori smirks at Jade. "I don't know. Just didn't think you would."

Jade and Tori reach the picnic area and come to a stop. Jade raises her eyebrows when she sees the entire community at the picnic area. "Are we having an early dinner?" Jade asks.

"No," Beck says, walking up to Jade. "We wanted to thank you for saving Tori and Andre by celebrating." Beck smiles. "We're throwing a party for you because you saved our friends."

"Oh," Jade looks around. "That isn't necessary."

"Well, it's too late to cancel a party," Beck says. "So, enjoy it." Beck walks away, moving to talk to others.

Tori grabs Jade's hand, interlocking their fingers. Jade looks over at Tori. "Shall we?" Tori motions towards the middle of the picnic area, where everyone is gathered.

Jade nods, "Sure."

Tori and Jade walk further into the picnic area, walking up to Andre, Cat, and Robbie. "Hey chicas!" Andre smiles at the duo.

"Tori!" Cat exclaims, moving from Robbie's side to engulf Tori in a hug. The hug causes Tori to let go of Jade's hand, allowing Tori to hug Cat back.

"Cat, I saw you a few hours ago," Tori pulls back from the hug.

"I know, I just missed you!" Cat moves back to stand next to Robbie.

"How are you two feeling?" Robbie asks.

"Better! And being back here definitely helps." Tori smiles at Robbie.

Robbie shifts his attention to Jade, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm hanging in," Jade replies, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Well, you know where to find us," Robbie motions between himself and Cat, "If you're not doing okay." Jade nods.

* * *

It's dark out, but the community is still lit, as the party continues. Jade, Tori, Andre, Cat, Robbie, and Beck sit at one of the picnic tables, talking amongst themselves. Other people of the community sit at other tables and mingle.

Beck looks over his shoulder, seeing some people start to leave. Beck turns back to his friends at the table, "I'll be right back." Beck hops up and runs over to the people.

"I hope you're still going to go on runs with Tori and I," Andre looks across the table at Jade.

"You still want me to?" Jade asks.

Andre raises an eyebrow, "Why wouldn't I?"

Jade swallows the lump in her throat. "Well, after what happened last time…" Jade trails off.

"That wasn't your fault," Andre says. "Plus, you're good with a gun, and a knife. We could definitely still use the extra help out there."

Jade nods, "Just give me a shout when there's a run."

Andre smiles at Jade, "You'll be the first to hear about it!"

"Hey!" Tori feigns offense, "What about me?"

"You'll be the second," Andre chuckles.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Jade turns around, seeing Beck standing on top of an empty picnic table. Next to her, Tori turns around, setting a hand on Jade's thigh, right above her knee. "I just wanted to give one last thank you to Jade," Beck points over at Jade. "Because of her, Tori and Andre are back and in one piece."

"For the most part!" Andre shouts with a laugh.

Beck smiles at Andre. "For the most part," Beck repeats Andre's words. "So, Jade," Beck shifts his attention back to Jade. "Thank you." Jade gives Beck a nod, feeling awkward for getting called out in front of everyone. "After everything Jade has done for the community," Beck says. "I'm making Jade my co-leader. Jade will help lead this community."

Jade's eyes widen in shock. _What did he just say? _Chatter erupts within the picnic area, but to Jade, it sounds distant. Jade feels the hand on her thigh give a slight squeeze. _No, I couldn't have heard him correctly._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey! It's been a while, I'm sorry about that. School and work took over my life. I'm home for now, due to the virus. So hopefully I'll be able to write some more! I've also been working on something else, so keep an eye out for that! I'll probably upload it soon! Any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.**

**Follow me on Tumblr: JadeAndToriAreMyLife**

**Also, I have a Victorious discord server. If you want to join: /PxB5BFm**

* * *

"Jade," Beck's voice pulls Jade out of her thoughts. "Would you like to come up and say a few words?"

"Uh," Jade looks around, everyone is staring at her. "Sure." Jade stands up and walks over to the table that Beck is standing on. Jade climbs onto the table, standing next to Beck.

"Go ahead," Beck says, smiling at Jade.

"Uh, this community has done a lot to help me," Jade says awkwardly. "I'm glad I can be a part of it and now help lead it." Jade hops off of the table. She walks back to her table and sits down next to Tori.

"How come a newcomer is becoming a co-leader before any of us oldtimers?" Someone asks.

"It's not about how long anyone has been here," Beck says. "It's about the work put in, and the sacrifices made to help get us to where we are and want to be." Beck sighs. "So, that's why Jade is becoming a co-leader." Beck hops off the table, "Enjoy the rest of your night. We will be ending this party. Lights out in fifteen." Beck walks over to the table his friends are at. "Can you guys help clean up?" Beck asks.

"Sure," Tori says, answering for the friend group.

The friend group stands up and starts to clean the surrounding area.

"Jade," Beck stops Jade. "Meet me at my house when you're done helping here. We've got some things to discuss."

Jade nods. Beck leaves, walking to his house. Jade moves back to help clean up.

* * *

Jade tosses the trash bag into the dumpster. She turns around, Tori is waiting for her, a smile on her face. Jade takes two steps towards Tori, standing in front of her. "I ha-" Jade yawns. "-ve to go talk to Beck."

Tori frowns, "He's already stealing you to do leader duties?"

Jade nods, "Yeah. I'll see you in the morning though."

"You better," Tori says with a smile. Tori yawns. "I guess that's my cue to go to sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jade gives a small smile.

Tori leans in quick, kissing Jade. Tori quickly pulls back, a slight blush on her cheeks. Tori turns and walks towards her house.

Jade's hand goes to her lips, touching where Tori just kissed her. Jade doesn't know what they are, but she likes kissing Tori. It sends sparks through her entire body. Jade had dated one boy before the apocalypse started, and when they kissed, it never sent sparks through Jade's body. Jade's hand drops back to her side, and she walks to Beck's house.

When she arrives at Beck's house, Jade knocks on the door. The door is almost immediately opened, Beck standing with a smile. "Hey, come in." Beck steps aside, allowing Jade into his house. Jade walks in and Beck closes the door behind her. Jade moves to the couch, sitting down. Beck sits down next to her. "Are you okay with this? Being co-leaders?"

Jade nods. She wasn't so sure at first. She knows it's going to be stressful, but she was up for the challenge. She has the necessary skills needed. "Yes."

"If you aren't, you can tell me," Beck says. "It wouldn't hurt my feelings."

Jade leans back, sinking into the couch, "I'm okay with it."

Beck smiles, "Awesome." Beck leans toward the table, grabbing a sheet of paper. He hands it to Jade. "This is a list of everyone in the community."

Jade looks down at the paper. A list of names is written in pencil down the paper. She notices a few names are crossed off, assuming those are the people that didn't last.

Beck hands another sheet of paper, handing it to Jade. "This one is the list of chores everyone has to do." Jade accepts the piece of paper, placing it over the other one in her hands. Beck picks up another sheet of paper. "This one is food inventory on the front and weapon inventory on the back. I do inventory every day." Beck hands the paper over to Jade. Jade looks down at the papers in her hands. She knows this is going to take some getting used to. "I'll show you that tomorrow morning."

* * *

The rest of the night went by quickly. Beck explained things to Jade and showed her some things. Before Jade and Beck knew it, it was time for breakfast.

"Shit," Beck looks out of his window. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take up your entire night." Beck stands from the couch.

Jade shrugs, "It's fine. I don't really sleep anyway."

"Well, I'll let you go eat breakfast," Beck looks at Jade. "Just meet me back here so I can show you inventory."

Jade stands from the couch, "Okay. I'll see you after breakfast." Jade walks out of Beck's house. She makes her way to the picnic area, seeing everyone already eating. Jade walks to the picnic table her friends are sitting at. She sits down next to Tori.

"Hey," Tori says.

"Hey," Jade says.

"Do you want something to eat?" Tori asks, nudging her bowl of oatmeal towards Jade.

Jade shakes her head, nudging the bowl back towards Tori. "I'm not hungry."

Tori scoops some oatmeal onto her spoon and brings it to her mouth. "Are you okay?" Tori puts the spoon in her mouth, eating the oatmeal.

Jade nods, "I'm fine. Just tired."

"That's what happens when you don't get sleep," Tori says.

"So, how's leader duty going?" Andre scoots his empty bowl forward on the table so he can rest his arms.

"It's a lot to take in," Jade replies, "But, it's not bad."

"What're you and Beck doing today?" Robbie asks, shoveling oatmeal into his mouth.

"Beck's going to show me how to do inventory."

"That sounds boring," Cat says.

"Well, someone's gotta do it," Jade says.

Jade feels a hand rest on her thigh. She looks to her left. Tori smiles at her. Jade returns the smile.

"Beck! Where's Beck?" Everyone in the picnic area turns to look over at a frantic boy. The boy is breathing heavily and his eyes are wide as he looks around the picnic area. His eyes meet Jade's. "You!" He points at Jade, everyone turning their attention to Jade. "You're a co-leader! There's a small group of people coming this way!" Whispering erupts as everyone in the picnic area starts to worry. "What do we do?" The boy asks. Jade's mouth opens, but no words come out. "Come on!" The boy panics. "What do we do?"

Jade looks around the picnic area, everyone is looking at her. Jade stands up, "Everyone go to your house." Nobody moves. "Now!" Everyone starts to quickly leave. Jade grabs the arm of the boy, stopping him from leaving. "You go get Beck. He's at his house. Tell him to meet me at the gate." The boy nods. Jade lets go of his arm and he runs off. Jade turns to her friends, "You guys need to go to your houses too."

"No, we're friends. We do this together," Andre says.

"No," Jade says.

"You're not getting rid of us," Tori says. "We're coming with you."

Jade sighs. She knows they aren't going to let up. "Fine. Let's go."

The group of friends quickly makes their way to the gate, seeing Beck running to the gate from a different pathway. "No," Beck points at his friends. "Jade and I will handle this."

"I already tried," Jade says.

Beck looks at his friends, "Do you all have weapons?"

Tori and Andre each raise a knife. Jade raises her handgun.

"Cat? Robbie?" Beck asks. Cat and Robbie shake their heads. "You two stay here." Beck turns to Jade, Tori, and Andre. "You guys ready?" Receiving nods, Beck moves to unlock the gate.

"Stay alert," Jade says.

Beck opens the gate. The group of friends steps out of the gate, Beck closing it behind them.

"Do you see anything?" Beck asks, looking around.

Jade aims her gun, using it to look around. "No."

"Why would that boy tell us there was a group of people out here?" Andre asks. "There's obviously not."

A scream from inside the gate echoes.

"It was a distraction!" Jade exclaims, running back to the gate. Jade pulls on the gate, but it doesn't open. "Cat! Robbie! Open the gate!" Jade continues pulling on the gate. The gate doesn't open, and no one opens it from inside. Jade growls in frustration. "Fuck!"

"What do we do?" Tori asks.

Jade takes a step back and looks at the tall wooden walls that surround the community. "I'm going to climb over and unlock it from inside," Jade says, stepping over to the wall next to the gate.

"Are you insane?" Andre asks. "That's pretty high up."

"Do you have another idea?" Jade asks. Receiving no answer, Jade starts to climb.

"Be careful!" Tori says.

"I'm not trying not to!" Jade says. Jade quickly makes it to the top. She looks into the community, seeing some people running around. Jade starts the descent and quickly makes her way to the ground. When her feet touch the ground, a gunshot rings out. Jade quickly turns around, aiming her gun. No one is there. The gunshot didn't come from directly behind her. Jade turns back around and unlocks the gate, shoving it open.

"Oh god, I thought…." Tori rushes out.

"I'm fine." Jade hands her gun to Tori, "Take this."

"You need it!" Tori argues.

"I have my knife," Jade says. "Just take it!"

Tori grabs the gun, holding it in her hands.

"We need to figure out what's going on," Beck says. "Let's split up. Andre with me. Tori with Jade." Beck runs a hand through his hair. "Andre and I will go check the inventory spots. You two check the rest."

"Come on," Jade says, starting to run off.

Tori follows. "We need to find Cat and Robbie!"

"We'll find them," Jade says. Another gunshot goes off. This time, it's close to Jade and Tori. Jade stops running and holds her arm out, stopping Tori. "That sounds close," Jade says.

"We can't just stop!" Tori whisper-yells.

"We need to be cautious," Jade whispers. "We can't just keep running around." Another gunshot is heard, even closer than the last one. Jade grabs Tori by the arm and steps back, pulling Tori into the closest house. Jade closes and locks the door.

"What're you doing?" Tori asks. "We need to get back out there to help!"

"Listen, we need to play this strategically!" Jade explains. "If we just keep running around, we'll get shot and killed!" Jade puts a hand on Tori's shoulder. "We need to think this through."

Tori nods, her head moving quickly. She looks at Jade, "I'm scared."

"We're going to be okay," Jade says. Jade looks around the house, spotting the stairs. "Follow me!" Jade runs over to the stairs. She makes her way up the stairs, Tori following behind her. Once at the top of the stairs, Jade makes her way into one of the rooms. She makes her way to the window and lifts one of the blinds, peaking out of the window.

"Do you see anything?" Tori asks from behind Jade.

"No." Jade drops the blind and backs from the window. "It did look like I could get on the roof. If I can get up there, I might be able to see something."

"If you do that, someone might see you first!" Tori says. "No way. You're not going on the roof!"

"Vega, I need to do this!" Jade says, waving her hands for emphasis. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes!" Tori exclaims. "I just don't want you to die!"

"I'm not going to try to die!" Jade runs a hand through her hair. "I need to do this!"

"If you go on the roof, I'm going with you." Tori crosses her arms over her chest. Jade opens her mouth to protest, but Tori interrupts her. "Don't even try to say no."

Jade nods and turns to the window. She grabs the string that dangles from the top of the window and pulls on it, lifting the blinds. She clicks the lock of the window, unlocking it. She grabs the bottom of the window and opens the window. The slight breeze blows Jade's hair back. "I'll go first," Jade looks over her shoulder at Tori.

Tori nods, "Okay. Be careful."

Jade turns back to the window. She sticks her head out of the window and looks up, looking at the part of the roof that hangs out. Jade lets out a sigh. She steps up, bringing her left foot to the windowsill. She extends her left leg, raising herself towards the roof, her right foot quickly finding the windowsill. She grabs onto the window with both of her hands, steadying herself. Jade looks down. It's a far drop, but it wouldn't kill her. Jade looks back up, looking at the roof. She reaches up with her right arm; she's just out of reach of the roof. "Damnit!"

"What?" Tori rushes out, worried.

"I can't quite reach!" Jade groans. Without thinking, Jade jumps up. Her hands grip the edge of the roof. She dangles from the roof, her hands holding on tight to the roof. Jade wishes she had more upper body strength. Jade dangles her head down, looking at the ground. _Come on, Jade! Pull yourself up! _

"Jade?" Jade snaps her head up, her eyes instantly meeting Tori's. Tori is looking at Jade with worry all over her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jade huffs out. "Just give me a second." Jade looks up at the roof. She musters up all the strength she has and pulls herself up. She gets onto the roof and lays on her back. "Okay, Vega," Jade sits up and kneels on the roof. "I'm going to help you up." Jade dangles her arms off of the roof. "Just grab my hands and I'll pull you up."

A few seconds pass. Just as Jade is about to ask if Tori is ready, two hands grab Jade's tightly and Jade is pulled forward a little. "Oh my god! Pull me up!"

Jade pulls, moving back on the roof, pulling Tori onto the roof. "A warning would've been nice!" Jade stands up.

"Sorry!" Tori stands. "I was scared!"  
A gunshot goes off. Jade grabs Tori by the shoulders and pulls her down. Tori lands on top of Jade.

"No! Stop! Let me go!"

Jade and Tori look at each other. "That sounded like-"

"Robbie!" Tori exclaims quietly.

Jade lightly slaps Tori's arm, "Hurry, get off of me!"

"Right, sorry," Tori blushes. Tori slides off of Jade.

Jade army crawls to the other edge of the roof. She peers down, looking at the surrounding area. She sees Robbie being dragged by someone, Robbie stumbling as he gets pulled.

"Let me go!" Robbie yells.

The person dragging Robbie puts a gun to his head. Jade turns to Tori, who is next to her, "Give me the gun!"

Tori quickly hands the gun to Jade. Jade aims at the person who holds a gun to Robbie's head.

"If you speak one more time, I'll put a bullet through yo-" A gunshot cuts the person off. The person falls to the ground. Robbie stumbles when the body falls to the ground. He looks around frantically.

"Robbie! Up here!" Tori's voice rings out.

Robbie looks up at the roof. "Tori! Jade!" Robbie runs up to the house. He looks up at his friends.

"What the hell is going on?" Jade asks.

"I don't know!" Robbie exclaims. "You guys walked outside of the gate and all of a sudden two people came and locked the gate. One of them got Cat, but I ran!"

"Robbie! You left Cat?" Tori asks, anger lacing her voice.

"I had to!" Robbie explains.

"He can explain later!" Jade says. "We need to find Cat, and meet up with Beck and Andre!" Jade looks down at Robbie. "Stay there, we'll meet you down there!"

"Got it!" Robbie says.

"Come on, we need to get down there," Jade says, turning towards Tori.

Jade and Tori make their way to the side of the roof they climbed on.

"I'll go first," Jade says.

"Be careful!" Tori says.

Jade steps to the edge of the roof. She sits down and lets her legs dangle over the edge. She turns onto her stomach and starts to push herself back. She grabs the edge of the roof tightly and lets herself dangle from the roof. Jade looks down, looking for the window. Jade swings her legs towards the window, allowing her feet to step onto the windowsill. Jade moves one of her hands to the top of the windowsill while the other stays latched onto the edge of the roof just in case. Once she's steady, Jade lets go of the roof and brings her hand to the windowsill. She quickly climbs into the house.

Jade sticks her head out of the window and looks up. "Vega, you need to do what I did."

Tori nods, "Okay, yeah. I can do that." Tori's voice shakes nervously.

"I'm right here, I'll guide you through it," Jade says.

"Okay," Tori bites her lip.

"Sit down at the edge of the roof," Jade instructs.

Tori sits down on the edge of the roof.

"Turn over onto your stomach and grab the edge of the roof."

Tori does as directed.

"Make sure you have a tight grip on the roof," Jade says.

Tori tightens her grip on the edge of the roof, her knuckles turning white.

"And push yourself off of the roof."

Tori takes a deep breath. She slowly pushes herself off of the roof and dangles. "Oh god, what now?" Tori panics.

"You're going to swing forward and try to get your feet onto the windowsill." Jade brings her head back inside, not wanting to get kicked in the face.

Tori starts to swing her legs forward. Tori's feet reach the windowsill.

"Now reach down with one hand and grab the top of the windowsill."

Tori does as told.

Jade reaches her hand out of the window and holds it out. "Grab my hand and I'll pull you in."

Tori's hand grabs Jade's. Tori latches onto Jade's hand tightly.

"Okay, let go of the roof and duck down so you don't hit your head."

Tori let's go of the roof and ducks down. Jade pulls her into the house. When her feet touch the carpeted floor, Tori lets out a breath.

"Come on, we need to go!" Jade says, running out of the room. Due to their hands still being latched together, Tori stumbles behind Jade as she's dragged.


End file.
